Last night I hosted the Brainstorming Hour session with my Private Brainstorming Group poolside in Marco Island, Florida. That's 815 miles south of my home in Tennessee, where it's been storming & cool (yucky weather! ).

I made the 12 hour drive (which turned into a fun 20-hour road trip!) with my two great danes on a whim - just for a change of scenery and a fun getaway with my pups.

I love being able to do that! My life is not all fun and games, but I definitely have a lifestyle most people would envy...

"I worked hard to be this lucky."

Finding freedom in discipline may sound like an oxymoron, but it's actually the key to success - or achieving anything you want out of life!

It takes discipline to get up every day and work toward your goals instead of watch television or read a good book - or whatever you normally do. Habits and routines are HARD to change. If you've ever decided you want to lose weight, get in shape or make a million dollars... you know exactly what I'm talking about.

A few years ago, my son went from "stick skinny" to tone and bulked up in very short time by taking up mixed martial arts. He trained almost daily, and I saw a drastic difference in him... in just six short weeks.

A change like this doesn't just affect your appearance, but also your self-image and how people treat you. Of course when he stopped training, he went back to a size zero ("skinny fat") in just as short a time. To state the obvious: anything you want to achieve - and keep - will probably require some form of maintenance.

The same goes for business and financial success, of course.

I shared some of my favorite tips for "business discipline" in a recent email with Three Simple Money Tips that have served me VERY well over the years.

I don't get to travel all over the world (or work poolside in the sunshine today) because I'm "lucky". The freedom and flexibility in my lifestyle are the result of hard work. I invested years building my online business and creating the life I wanted. And now… I "work smart" to maintain both the business and the lifestyle.

Working "smart" means turning every expense into an investment that provides a great return (see the money tips linked above). It means waking up every day and starting off with your highest priority. It means doing a Money Task every morning. You have to work hard and really push yourself in the beginning, but "working smart" is how you maintain what you worked so hard to achieve.

Working smarter will also help you achieve your goal much faster, of course - so it pays to have a good plan from the beginning.

I say you have to work hard and push yourself, but that's because change doesn't come easy for most people. It requires serious discipline and self-motivation...

I'm not the only person that has created this "easy internet business lifestyle". I've met a lot of others like me by attending industry events, and I always love to hear their startup stories and their history in business.

While everyone might have a different goal or a different reason for wanting to work online, there's one common thread in those who've succeeded: discipline.

You have to MAKE it happen.

How do you do that?

That's another topic we discussed in Brainstorming Hour recently - how to get that "burning desire" that motivates you to succeed, that drives you, that fuels your focus and determination to a point that it's actually FUN to get up and work toward your goals every day.

The answer? You have to get a very clear vision in your mind of what you want, and it needs to be something that excites you. It has to be something with an emotional attachment. <- That's the KEY. It can be a positive OR a negative. You either want away from what/where you are now… or you want to achieve something very specific.

What excites you?

What REALLY gets your juices flowing??

What would you give almost ANYthing for?

Consider the things that really affect you, or provoke deep emotion. You might start with a short term goal. Just "making money" is not enough to motivate most people to skip their favorite TV show in place of "working". It's the same with "getting in shape". I'd love to get in great shape, and it's on my list of priorities. So why don't I get up and go for a run every morning?? Good question.

The answer: I don't have a strong enough WHY.

You need a reason, and that reason needs to be something that evokes a strong emotion in you, whether it's positive or negative.

Let's say for example that I decide to go on The Marketer's Cruise at the end of January. It will cost me around $3,000 all said and done, with $1300 due in the next week or so. Since it's a cruise with 3 port stops, I'll be packing a swimsuit. Given my policy of "make it before you spend it", and the fact that I chose NOT to make exercise a priority lately, THAT would motivate me to get off my a$$!

It's an immediate goal - around 90 days, with a chunk of cash due fast - so it provides that sense of urgency required for motivation. And of course a short term goal that is very "real" - not something far off in the future and intangible.

What emotions are attached to it? I don't want to miss out. I really want to go. I don't want to be embarrassed to wear my swimsuit, or even a tank top.

I haven't actually decided if I'm going on the Marketer's Cruise yet, but that gives you a real life example to measure your own goals by.

If you're having trouble with focus and discipline, set an immediate goal that gives you that sense of urgency. Get excited about something that really gets you motivated. Find something worth working for, and working toward!

There is SO much freedom in discipline.

Do you know how much of your energy is spent wishing this and wishing that? Consider how much time you've wasted wanting something, but never actually making it happen. Think about the feelings that are attached those things, feelings you carry around with you and that affect other decisions you make: disappointment, low self esteem, lack of self confidence, etc.

When you get serious about what you really want to achieve in your life, and DO it, you are free from all of those things. There will be less holding you back, and more FUN and freedom to enjoy!

Discipline does not come easy. By it's very definition, it means to train yourself. You make yourself get up every day and do a Money Task until it becomes a habit. You force yourself through the motions until those motions become part of your routine. You give up one thing, for something you want more.

That's discipline. It's not necessarily fun in the beginning, and it's a real task to change your habits and your routine, but it is SO worth it!

You know that what you want is more important (and more rewarding) than what you're doing instead. I know this too - like my goal of getting in great shape. I know how amazing I would feel, and that it would give me a huge sense of accomplishment. I KNOW it would be worth it. I simply have to discipline (train) myself to do the work.

I would love to hear your thoughts...

What do you really want to achieve, and what do you feel is holding you back? What one thing are you willing to change or give up, in exchange for something better?

I'm really glad I invested all the time and energy into creating a business and lifestyle that I truly enjoy. It was SO worth it. Just being able to drop everything "drive to the sunshine" with my great danes is an awesome thing. Now I'm ready to buckle down and reach even more goals in my life! Like getting back to the gym, lol...

Best,

p.s. Need help and accountability starting your online business, or taking it to maximum profit potential? You'll get self-paced courses AND hands-on help in my Private Brainstorming Group. I would love to help you achieve your goals!

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p.p.s. Slim & Molly are loving their "danecation"!