Does Discipline Help You?
Does Discipline Help You?
This article explores how one perceives the way they approach their day. A few disciplines are inspected to show what they can mean for someone: the author shares his experiences of actually doing daily disciplines. After reading this article, you will gain insight into how one person switched from being a list-maker and list-checker to a belief-based disciplined achiever.
This is about starting the day – purposefully
Daily Disciplines – Writing & Capturing Ideas
When we wake up in the morning, we begin our day with a series of prayer, meditation, devotional study, and writing. It wasn’t always like this because I would literally leap out of bed and dash into the day as quickly as possible to get things going!!! And, fifteen years ago if someone had told me that I would be doing these things, I would have laughed, been compelled to say a few harmful words and probably dismissed the ideas as heresy. Does anyone connect with this contempt?
My wife Janet was responsible for slowing my leaping-process down considerable by demonstrating a different way to start: yes, I learned this in my marriage and what a gift!
The main difference in her way was the slowness and metered patience in the beginning of it, in a calm manner conducive to entering the day gradually: the old school concept of easing-into-it.
I didn’t seem to ease into anything…it was more about ceasing/grasping at the day; the let’s squeeze-everything-possible out of it starting with the rush into it. I know better now…
Credit Where it Belongs
There is a joyful acknowledgement for my change with a few select comments combining love and gratitude for the impact of my partner, best friend and bride, that I can now clearly perceive the differences. It actually may not have anything to do with me or efforts on my part, but coupled with my wife’s guidance and my highest-power’s active love and consistent delivery of awareness and understanding in my life, these things are responsible for my changed view point: more likely this is the case and the truth of it – not Bob-centered discovery!
Historical Behavioral Perspective
Yet now, for a few reasons (e.g., there are probably many), I can see today with much more clarity that my past decades frenetic day-beginnings approach was at best harmful, impatient, unconnected to any spiritual calmness, completely task oriented and not at all on-purpose: I was a major list-maker and list-checker-offer. But, that strategy of task orientation wasn’t necessarily connected to the bigger picture or north-star pointed for me. (e.g., Caitlin Miller introduced the north-star concept to me in her coaching course when I participated a few years ago).
My remembrance of this past morning-fast-jump method was that each day was more of an intellectual activity, disconnected from my heart and the soulfulness meant for me. However, don’t despair because regardless of your connections, whether un-spiritual or otherwise situated, we can still gain from this delving into understanding about disciplines and the value-promise of it…
(Wisdom Sidebar) I now surmise that one must go-through these past experiences (e.g., for me, I was looking back in hindsight) with openness and willingness about them before you can expect to gain any real awareness and/or growth. We suggest making a short inspection/review of the past, as long as you concentrate upon the focal point of what occurred (i.e. in our example the morning-start) and the meaning of it for you: if someone in your community was there too, they can validate your remembrances.
(Caution) However, we become suspect of this past inspection practice without some guided assistance, because the stories and beliefs may actually be false and therefore misleading. We can suggest some people who might be able to help in this area…
I believe overall now that my highest-power within/without produced these experiences as a unique way of my learning peacefulness . After much pondering, I choose to believe so today…
So What’s Different Now?
The impact of one water droplet affects things…
There is a feeling of deliverance from the past frenzied morning practices because I have become much more disciplined in entering the day with surrender and acceptance, words which had escaped me for decades.
For this period in my life now, I sense a deep personal relationship to my On-Purpose life because I have been using methods which center and focus my attention on the important things in life, all the underlying beliefs and areas I wish to concentrate.
The morning daily disciplines lift me from isolation and disconnectedness into an alignment with my higher-power, my partner, usually stilling my mind and consistently allowing me to be in gratitude and humbleness: more weighty beliefs, which also tended to elude me, but which are present most days now.
Summary of Differences
Here is a short list of the differences that I am experiencing today as both very soulful and inspiring:
Gradual and peaceful entry into a new day: hope based expectation about the day,
Thankfulness and gratitude for connection with a higher-power and my partner: a real sense of belonging and inter-relatedness,
Request for a patterned approach of love and humbleness in my relationships: destined to experience connection at deep levels,
Participation and active focus upon the components of my On-Purpose life; understanding, accepting and living in my true purpose,
Surrender and acceptance for what occurs during my day: anything can come present as an opportunity to experience and appreciate my life,
Request for possibility and opportunity to show-up during the day and my recognition of it: a strong calibration for the connectedness of the universe, my higher-power/God and my fellow man,
Writing about what occurred yesterday, the insight and revelations delivered from the writing and the understanding of it: awareness of my identity, but more so about what the universe/higher-power/God has been delivering to me during the day,
Willingness to explore and experience new things: compelled to heighten my discovery, participation with high levels of vitality and energy,
Acknowledgment that my humanity is similar to others; feeling varying and different range of emotions and feelings, which can/will guide me through the day toward healthy learning,
Inspection and review come present with pondering and considering what is occurring in my life: am I working on purpose, fulfilling my destiny and contributing at high levels?
All these items put forth for your review are intended to have you come present with you and your connections, whether in your current community, family, colleagues or other universal relationships. In addition, the study, meditation, prayer and writing are designed to build your beliefs system and your character.
If any of this sounds difficult, it is not at all: this requires your personal commitment and perseverance. These are fundamental beliefs which will assist in your growth and development.
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