When I first decided to better myself, I went all in. I thought that’s what success looked like. I started setting unrealistic routines compared to what I was used to, like waking up at 4am when I was used to sleeping until 11am. I told myself, “This is what successful people do, so I need to do it too.”

But the truth is, I wasn’t ready for that. I tried to change everything overnight, seven days a week. And when I actually did wake up early, I didn’t even know what to do with the extra hours. I’d go to the gym, come home, and stare at the clock. I was doing what I thought success looked like, not what success felt like for me.

So I started making day to day routines, trying to fill my time with tasks just to stay “productive.” I looked busy, but nothing I was doing was truly helping me move toward my goals. I was just checking boxes, not building anything real.

Over time, I grew out of that. I realized that discipline isn’t about doing everything at once, it’s about doing the right things with intention. Maybe I didn’t need to wake up at 4am yet. Maybe I needed to learn what to do after I woke up. I needed to give myself space to think, to rest, to plan.

Now, my days are fuller than ever, not because I’m forcing structure, but because I finally have purpose behind it. I know what I’m working toward, and I know why.

It’s hard when you’re motivated and want to go all in starting Monday. But motivation fades. Discipline is what keeps you moving when that motivation disappears. When you try to do everything all at once, you burn out, get discouraged, and actually delay your progress. Real growth happens when you take small, consistent steps, the ones that build momentum without draining your spirit.

When I stopped chasing perfection and started focusing on progress, everything changed. I didn’t need to look productive anymore. I became effective.

Growth isn’t built overnight. It’s built daily, one intentional step at a time.