Sports & Gaming

How to Exercise Self Discipline

Lesson time 09:35 min

Lewis’s success requires an extreme level of control on and off the track, from his physical actions and work ethic to his impulses and emotions. In this lesson, you’ll learn methods for exercising control and self-discipline for your own positive results.

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Topics include: Give Yourself Positive Reinforcement Keep Composure Under Pressure Conquer Your Temptations Give Yourself a Break Learn to Control Your Emotions

Lewis Hamilton

Teaches a Winning Mindset

World racing champion Lewis Hamilton teaches you how to prepare your mind, body, and spirit for victory in your own life.

Preview

[MUSIC PLAYING] INSTRUCTOR: I think discipline comes in all sorts of forms. Like when I was younger, I wanted to learn how to defend myself, so I went to karate. And in karate, it was very much about discipline, standing in the line, respecting your elders. And I was a kid that always wanted to play, so I was agitated. I wanted to get out of the line. And that was a process for me. Discipline is staying on course. If you set yourself that you're going to train two times in the week and you want to build that up, you do those two days in the week, and then the next week you do three days in the week, and you build it up bit by bit. It's setting yourself goals and targets and not being weak and giving up on it, saying I'm going to train five days this week, and I'm going to eat healthy for five days, and I'm going to have a cheat day or a cheat weekend. And it's just about trying to keep balance always. Try giving yourself little rewards when you're trying to achieve something, whether it's being restrictive when you're trying to be disciplined, which is so hard. Sometimes it's so easy to have those moments of weakness, but staying on course, staying on target, and giving yourself some sort of reward at the end of the journey. It really helps to know that at the end there's something positive from the outcome, from the pain of whatever you're going to endure. It could be like I'm going to have sweets when I win my first race, or I'm going to get a new laptop, or buy a new game, or treat myself. I think that's a really good thing with discipline is being able to find the balance of putting the pressure on yourself and reward. It's being able to do something that you wanted to do at the end of it. I'm going to get together with my friends on Sunday and play a game. That's my world, so that's what I'm going to do once I get through these days. And I'm going to do those to the best of my ability. If I don't achieve that, then I'm not allowing myself to have that. That's one way I try to give myself discipline. So if there is something particular, whether it's food, that you really want, then it's okay to give you yourself that once you get to your goal. I feel the pressure before every race. But the pressure mostly comes from my will and my own drive and expectations of myself. I expect a lot for myself, and I think when I was younger, I had a lot of expectations from my dad. But on top of that was my own expectations of I've done the work. I know what I can do. I know what I can do with that car. And when you fail, it's difficult, because you know you could have done it. The first lap of a race is really difficult to describe. I've been racing, as I said, for 28 years. And every first lap is chaotic, without fail. But there's been no points rewarded until you finish the race. So there's all this preparation. There's all this worry. Then you're on the grid. There's a lot of information that you need to r...

About the Instructor

As the winningest Formula 1 driver in the history of the sport, Lewis Hamilton knows what it takes to come out on top. Now, he’s teaching you how to achieve greatness in your own life. Whether you already know your goals or are still trying to figure them out, you’ll learn how to face your fears, turn negatives into positives, and continuously challenge yourself in order to find—and reach—your true potential.

Featured MasterClass Instructor

Lewis Hamilton

World racing champion Lewis Hamilton teaches you how to prepare your mind, body, and spirit for victory in your own life.

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