A series of events has brought discipline + focus back into my life. Check out the first and second parts of this conversation if you’d like to read the background!
When Ego and Discipline meet, challenges will arise.
That’s a fact. Have you noticed that you start a new routine, get a few days into it and start to feel really good, and then you get sick. Or hurt. Or something happens at work or in your daily life that takes you away from your beautiful routine.
That’s Ego trying to take over.
That’s Ego trying to fight for it’s safety and comfort. That’s Ego trying to keep you small. Ego will want to hold you back or will want to resist the beautiful changes you are desiring to make.
When that happens, invite love and compassion to the table.
Love and compassion are the antidotes to an Ego that wishes to mess up your best laid plans. So what does this invitation look like? Let’s say you committed to working out 5x a week. You made it to day three and now you are really sick (Ego). You may want to let Ego win by pushing yourself to the limit and going anyway for the sake of keeping your commitment to discipline + focus. (As you’ll come to learn, this is not the creative energy of discipline + focus that you want to have in your life.)
Now is the time to invite love and compassion to the party.
Take a moment to assess how you feel (sick) and what you need (rest). Then, center yourself in the Oyster energy of discipline + focus and ask yourself, how can I achieve my goal (working out 5x) with grace and charm?
Then listen for the answer.
The answer may be to go for a short walk. It may be to rest. It may be to do some gentle yoga. It may be to go to the gym, as planned. That’s discipline. That’s focus. That’s the energy you want to have to keep the peaceful, sustainable momentum in your life.
Instead of doing for the sake of doing, you are harnessing the creative power of discipline + focus to reach your stated objective . . . and that, my friends, is powerful.
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Let us know how you are (re)introducing discipline + focus into your life by reaching out!