The title of this post came from either something I read or heard recently. I don’t remember how this phrase was introduced to me, but immediately it resonated with me, especially over the past two months.
It’s no secret that this has been a challenging year for me. After months and months of being stuck in a rut I got sick and tired of being sick and tired and I decided that I couldn’t stay stuck. I had to make some changes and I started with figuring out what I wanted.
- I wanted to have more energy
- I wanted my body to stop hurting
- I wanted to see the number on the scale start to go down
- I wanted to stop eating foods that made me feel terrible
- I wanted to be more productive
- I wanted to stop dreading the work day
- I wanted to be more organized and less scattered
This of course is the short list, but this is where I started.
In comes DISCIPLINE. I can honestly say that some new habits/disciplines have been born out of my need to get unstuck. I put an end to the insanity, which was my life…doing what I was used to doing expecting different results… and began to make some changes.
I started with my morning routine, and I’m telling you it’s made a huge difference. I stopped pushing the snooze button, which was a major energy drain and began getting up at 6:00 a.m. so that I could have several hours to ease into my day. By establishing a morning routine I’ve been able to take charge of my day before the day takes charge of me.
From this one discipline have come the following benefits:
- a calm and focused demeanor
- more control over my eating (making better choices)
- less frazzled and out of control
- more positive and proactive attitude
- not as stressed or mad at everyone getting a piece of me
- time for myself
- more energy and less irritability
The point is, I was able to develop this discipline by focusing on what I want and how I wanted to feel. I wanted more control of my day. I wanted to be able to lay my head down at night knowing I had done the best I could. I wanted to stop feeling like crap and to have energy to be productive and active.
At first it was a struggle to get up at 6:00 each morning. But now, not only do I wake up before the alarm, I wake up excited about the time I will spend with the Lord, and excited about having some me time to workout, to chill out and to write things out so that I can start my day focused and with clarity. It really doesn’t get better than that!
Your Turn To Share
What are some of the things you want to experience in your life? Make a list and begin to focus on those things and the discipline you are seeking will follow.