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Self-discipline is one of the touchstones of success in any goal you set yourself. To work out how you achieve self-discipline you have to know what motivates you, what routines and incentives work best for you.

If you make promises to yourself about what you'll achieve and how you'll reward yourself, learn to keep them. Don't take advantage of the many excuses that always present themselves for failing in your ambition. See if you can't push things through.

Be persistent and tenacious and hang on until you decide that's enough. Don't be thrown off the merry-go round. Try to choose when to jump and where you'll fall.

Persistence goes a very long in any sphere. God knows how much stuff I sent off to people in the early days, how much I hawked the ideas around. The old lady in the post office used to complain that I didn't leave enough stamps for her other customers. My work didn't get discovered by accident - I beat down the door.

Every second out there, you have to be trying to do your best. If you feel it's not working, stop and remotivate yourself.

Choose someone you respect and ask them to coach you in some aspect of life.

Try what the Harvard Psychologist Howard Gardner calls "reflecting" - which is commitment to a regular, very deliberate consideration of the events of your daily life in relation to your longer term aspirations.

Always think about what your ultimate aim is, then that can act as a flashing beacon to help you decide whether one direction or opportunity or another is consistent with your aim.

One of the best ways to gain some really useful 'doing' skills, is to do some sort of community service project: volunteer your time, set up a school magazine, offer training to younger people, put on a show, a concert or a gig to raise money for a good cause. Try to partner up with a friend, because you'll learn more, enjoy it more, and achieve more. It might appear to be unpaid, but the truth you'll be earning pride and know-how in spadefulls.

If you can devise ways of measuring things, it's easier to keep track of improvements.

Make damn sure you are paddling in the right direction, and check your compass on a regular basis because it's all too easy to go off course.

As you implement your plan, circumstances beyond your control may often force you to adapt it and to become reactive, but then as soon as possible you must draft a new plan, and so take back the initiative. Don't lead life reactively, lead it proactively. You make the first move and the next and the next whenever possible.

On any mission, keep open to changes of plan and new possibilities that can bring dramatic, if last minute, improvements. Keep looking ahead and be ready to adapt, rather than committing rigidly to one course of action 'come what may'.

Perfectionism can be self-destructive and inefficient and it can become more of a bad habit bordering on an addiction rather than a philosophy. Does the job really need to be done perfectly, or would a good job do?

There are no shortcuts to success; you have to work hard, and if you don't, your star will fade very quickly.

It's only because of the battles and hardships that the end result of a journey is given meaning. Whereas if the end result is somehow 'magically acquired', the prize will soon feel little more than meaningless.

There are certain chores you just have to do to get to where you're going, and the clever thing is to make them as enjoyable as possible so you do them as well as possible. That might mean introducing music, or companionship, or regular breaks, or in someway elevating that chore above the mundane.

Make sure you can be trusted to do a task thoroughly. This may not be exciting, but it is vital. This may mean you coming back to a task time and again over a long period; but it is worth it.

Voltaire wrote "All that is needed for evil to triumph, is that good people do nothing."

Actions are the bottom line, so do judge yourself by measurable outcomes - but remain aware that enjoying yourself for 365 days of the year is a real-life outcome just as much as the examination result at the end of that year.

Be aware that even your best friends and family may not wholeheartedly encourage you to major changes to your life. After all, major changes might mean you have less time for them, or you might eclipse their own achievements, or cause them to question the rightness of their own path or progress.

The day isn't won till the whistle goes. Don't let emotion get the better of you until you've got the job done. Be tough with yourself and keep a tight rein.

Hard work is not a substitute for strategy, and achieving your goals needs both in equal amounts.

It's a key thing knowing when quitting would be the brave and smart thing to do, rather than an impatient and negative move as it's often thought to be. Seek advice from experienced people who know you well.

You must take responsibility for motivating yourself. Ask yourself why is this task important, what will be the short, medium and long-term benefits to yourself and those you care for? What are the private, internal satisfactions, and what are the visible, tangible rewards? Keep reminding yourself of these features to keep your appetite for the job as sharp as possible.

If you are not doing things that you feel you should, stop and ask yourself why. You might find its because your goals aren't what you want to do, but what someone else wants you to do. Or maybe you're just bloody terrified of the tasks themselves. In which case, take them one at a time, break each one into little pieces and work your way through the problem. Or maybe you're punishing yourself for not having achieved other things. Self-punishment is only one step away from self-hatred, which is not helpful when you're trying to get through daily life.

Know when to stop at something, draw a line underneath it, and take off for other challenges. Improvise upon your theme.

Almost all the benefit of the struggle comes toward the very end of the battle - that is the time when capacity for patience or strength or endurance is increased beyond its original boundaries. So don't let go of the rope until you've notched up that little bit extra.