Many of the most impressive entrepreneurs and creatives in our community exhibit a high degree of self-discipline and so we asked some of them to share their backstories of how they developed their self-discipline.

Luis Guzman

My self-discipline comes from habits I developed early in life. Since I was 10 years old, I’ve always had to work for what I wanted. My father taught me, “If you can earn it, then you can do it.” That principle became a foundation for how I approach challenges and goals.
I learned to step outside myself to recognize distractions and avoid them. I set clear time frames for every task—having a schedule helps me accomplish much more. I don’t spend hours watching TV anymore; I catch the news in the morning, and maybe a movie or two on weekends. My focus is on consistently working toward my goals, never leaving things for later. I believe in tackling challenges in small, manageable pieces, which makes them less overwhelming and keeps me moving forward. This approach keeps me motivated and disciplined every day. Read More>>

Matt Kahla

My self-discipline comes from a mix of necessity and passion. I did not have the luxury of waiting for opportunities to knock, I had to build the door myself. Early on, I realized that in business, especially as a content creator and entrepreneur, consistency beats talent every time. That mindset turned into a habit, and that habit turned into discipline. Read More>>

P.J. King

My self discipline comes from growing up in divorced home. When I was twelve my parents divorced. My mom who didn’t work at the time started working full time. She at the time went back to college to earn her Masters in Social Work to become a therapist. This put the onus on me to get my homework finished and to make dinner and take care of my younger siblings. I didn’t have a choice. It wasn’t discussed. I just starting stepping up. It soon translated into my disciplined approach to athletics in high school. I became a Varsity basketball and football player not because I was necessarily the best. I was just more disciplined. Also, I’ll outwork anyone! Self discipline and a strong work ethic have always been my guiding principles. Both were born out of necessity. Read More>>

José De La Cruz

From God’s word and teaching from my parents Read More>>

Summer Greenlees

This is an excellent question because self-discipline is an integral aspect of yoga. It is essential for being a yoga practitioner or teacher. Discipline is also necessary to be successful as a student, an entrepreneur, a parent, and an example for clients to follow as a wellness professional.

Self-discipline has been one of my topmost challenging personal growth struggles.
One thing I have most recently learned is that motivational wisdom and other strategies that are effective for neurotypical individuals are not effective for many neurodivergent individuals like myself. Read More>>

Russ Hosmer

My self-discipline stems from a lifetime of experiences that have shaped and tested my resolve. As a former athlete, national champion, and world-class competitive bodybuilder, I learned early on that success is not a matter of chance — it’s the result of consistent effort, focus, and unwavering commitment. These early lessons in discipline laid the foundation for everything that followed. Read More>>

Kate Bishop

I had a very challenging childhood. I thought the best way to escape that and the demands it put on me, mentally and emotionally, would be to enlist in the Air Force. In some ways, I went from the frying pan into the fire! But my time in the military gave me the skills to navigate life, it gave me the drive and determination to never fail or give up. Initially, I started out my career working on the flight line on aircraft but after realizing my post-military job opportunities would be limited, I changed careers and entered into law enforcement. With the job change came challenges I’d never faced before. Higher physical and mental fitness standards, long hours, emotionally draining days. Without my drive, determination, and discipline, I know I would have quit or failed early on. It takes a lot of commitment to keep going in that life. Coupled with two hard deployments, one in Iraq and the other in Afghanistan, it put me fully to the test of what life could throw at me. Those days, those events created the person I am today, the person who continues to push through challenges, do the right thing every single time, even when I’m tired or worn down, and continue to get up early every day to run this farm. Read More>>