Self-Discipline

"Self-discipline is a learned skill, not an innate characteristic." (Amy Morin)

Maybe your goal in 2015 is to lose weight.  One of the keys to your success will be self-discipline, a skill to which you must devote intentional, dedicated practice.  Know that developping self-discipline takes time and hard work.  There is no easy fix.  Here are six tips offered by Amy Morin to reach your goal.

1.  Acknowledge Weakness:  You might say:  "I could lose weight if I wanted to."  That statement infers that you really don't need to stop overeating, that you really don't have a problem.  The first step to stopping a bad habit is acknowledging you have one.  

2.  Establish a Clear Plan:  Write out a daily, weekly and monthly plan that you can follow.  Planning ahead can help prevent you from slipping back into old ways.  For instance, my husband planned on eating canned salmon last night.  I cooked mini-burgers for the kids.  Even though, he was sorely tempted by the burgers, he stuck to his original plan and ate the fish.  

3.  Remove temptations:  If your weakness is sugar, avoid buying sugary foods and stocking your cupboards with them.  Use natural sugars like honey, as substitutes for sugar, in your tea and your baking.

4.  Practise Tolerating Emotional Discomfort:  Practise handling boredom, frustration, loneliness and sadness in a constructive manner, thereby increasing your tolerance and your self-discipline.  When frustrated, rather than reaching for a bag of popcorn like I did last night, do a set of stretches or go for a jog.  

5.  Visual Your Long Term Reward:  Sacrifice immediate gratification for long term rewards.  Visualize your new slim and trim self in a new outfit.  Post a photo of yourself when you were slim on your fridge as a reminder.

6.  Recover from Mistakes Effectively:  We all make mistakes.  We all fall off the wagon at some point.  Acknowledge your mistake and move on.  Don't let the mistake define you, but rather let it strengthen your resolve!  I ate the bag of popcorn last night.  Rather than dwelling on the mistake, I can plan to do a set of stretches tonight.

Self-discipline will serve you well in life, whether it's applied to losing weight or quitting smoking or curbing your overspending.  The skill can be applied to both dropping bad habits and forming good habits.  Self-discipline has served me well in keeping a daily appointment at the gym for the past five years.  Practise it daily -- you will be amazed at the rewards you reap!

Source:  http://www.forbes.com/sites/amymorin/2014/10/03/6-ways-to-develop-the-self-discipline-necessary-to-reach-your-goals/.

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Moist Pumpkin Bundt Cake

2 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup canola oil
3 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 can (15 oz) solid pack pumpkin
confectioner's sugar

Preheat oven to 350F.  Combine sugar and oil.  Add eggs, beating well.  Combine flour, soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and cloves.  Add egg mixture alternating with pumpkin.  Transfer to greased 10 inch Bundt pan.  Bake 60 to 65 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Cool 10 minutes before inverting on a wire rack.  Dust with confectioner's sugar.  Yields 12 to 16 servings.

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Paula Deen's Sweet Potato Pie

Ingredients
2 cups cooked sweet potatoes
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 stick melted butter
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract or 1 to 2 tbsp bourbon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 cup milk
9 inch unbaked pie crust
3 egg whites

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 F.  For the filling, using an electric mixture, combine potatoes, sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla, salt and spices.  Mix thouroughly.  Add milk and continue to mix.  Pour filling into the pie crust and bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean.  Place pie on rack and cool to room temperature before covering with meringue.

For the meringue, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.  Beat in the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, one tablespoon at a time.  Continue beating until sugar dissolves and mixture is glossy and stiff, not dry.  With a rubber spatula, spoon the meringue onto the pie, forming peaks.  Make sure the meringue touches the crust all around.  Sprinkle with pinch of granulated sugar.  Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until delicately browned.  Cool and serve.

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