One way to reinforce habits is to celebrate small wins.  If you eat slightly less junk food or exercise a bit more, you can count it as an accomplishment.  The positive reinforcement helps to make us feel better, inspire confidence and slowly build habits  that makes reaching our goals a bit easier.  This is particularly true with financial discipline.  It is important to recognize that, like any habit, it is a process that takes time.  The good news is that there are tangible metrics to measure your success e.g. when you have more in your investment accounts or a higher net worth.