In life, you probably know that success definitely requires self-discipline. Cultivating self-discipline is a process that demands adherence to daily principles, which not everyone can achieve. To do this, you must trade off your immediate desires and overcome them.
What is Self-Discipline?
Self-discipline is the ability to manage your own power to overcome temptations and personal preferences, control and regulate your behavior to achieve set goals. It involves forcing yourself to adhere to pre-established rules, setting aside self-indulgence for long-term goals.
Two noticeable characteristics of self-discipline are resisting personal preferences and desires for self-indulgence and persistently pursuing set goals. Therefore, a spontaneous action at any given time is not considered self-discipline. Adhering to self-discipline will bring significant value to one’s life, work, and career.
The Journey to Conquer 9 Technology/Management Certifications in 9 Months
This is the true story of Mr. Đ.Đ.N – Delivery Manager BU1 at VietIS Solution. Let’s follow his story!
Introducing the Person
With over 12 years of experience in the outsourcing field, having lived and worked in many places in Vietnam (Hanoi, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City) and Japan (Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa & Fukuoka), Mr. N. remains remarkably modest when talking about himself, describing himself as follows:
- Addicted to e-Football games, loves fun
- Addicted to Facebook, Netflix, and YouTube Shorts
- After 10 years in Japan, did not take any international certifications other than JLPT N2, N1 (N1 took 4 attempts to pass)
- Lacks self-study habits, rarely sets personal goals, and if set, does not stick to them and quickly abandons them
- Used to think he was lazy, had poor English, lacked motivation & confidence to participate in any international certification exams
What Triggered Mr. N. to Change?
- The wave of layoffs everywhere made him realize he could be a victim if he did not change
- Coincidentally interviewed a candidate born in 1999 who had 6 international certifications in just over a year
- Did not want to be looked down upon
Mr. N. disciplined himself, continuously focused on two pillars: health habits and self-study habits. As a result, after 2 months, he lost 6 kg, improved his health indicators, and successfully obtained 9 certifications in 9 months. Among them, the certification Mr. N. found most challenging was the PMP management certification.
Sharing Tips for Passing Certifications in a Short Time
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
Some tips for exam preparation shared by Mr. N. include:
- Identify your motivation
- Improve English: Don’t worry, English is mostly repetitive, so creating a vocabulary file for regular study is effective
- Utilize AI chatbots (Chat GPT / Copilot / Germini) for learning, answering and explaining answers, and compiling statistics in PDF/image files
- Study in groups / discussions: Knowledge is best remembered when discussed or explained to others
- Self-study on Udemy: Buy individual courses or Udemy Business. Look for highly rated courses with many students
- Apply the Pomodoro Technique for time management
- Prioritize tasks, do one thing at a time
- Practice with mock exams
“To achieve things you’ve never had, you must be willing to do things you’ve never done.”
A Few Words of Advice from the Person:
Is it difficult to achieve?
- What I have achieved, you can also achieve, as long as you are willing to pay a reasonable price.
- Certification and cultivating positive habits are not about competing with others but about overcoming yourself.
Passing an exam does not mean being a professional in that field
- Passing an exam only proves that at the time of the exam, I knew how to answer the questions, but it does not mean I am skilled in that field.
- Rapid learning often leads to gaps in practical knowledge.
- I totally agree with those who say “practical experience in projects / whether you can do it is more important than what certifications you have”
“When you think you’ve given your all, in reality, you’ve only used 40% of your potential (David Goggins)…”
