How does fear rule your life? Where in your life do you allow fear to take over your desires? I skied for years successfully and was really pretty good. I loved the fun, beauty and adventure of skiing. Recently, we went skiing. Prior to this trip, I had an accident on the last run of the day so I was quite afraid as we began this adventure. Why, did I let that one accident override all the years and fun I had had? Fear… I took a lesson in hopes that my skills would override the fear I had created. I thought I was disciplined enough with my thoughts to know how to stop myself if I got into that position of being afraid. During my lesson, I was good, had great thoughts and feelings of what I was doing. I felt I could do way more than they were asking me. Then, I went up on the mountain, I let fear take over. All the discipline of focusing on what I wanted went out the window. I allowed fear to take away my fun. Had I really had more faith and discipline, I could have had some fun. Where are you letting fear rob your joy? How could you use discipline with your thoughts to release that fear?
My husband and I were listening to our weekly Joel Osteen message. The message was about are you activating faith or fear in your life. He talked about having discipline with your thoughts. What you are thinking is what you are inviting into your life. Take a look at your life and see if you have what you desire. If not, pay attention to your thinking. Become conscious or aware of what you are saying. Ask yourself if what you are saying is really what you want.
Joel talked about how fear will take over your thoughts if you allow it. He shared that you pay attention to all the messages you hear around you – flu season, get your shot so you won’t catch it; economy is bad – afraid I’ll be laid off. Why not instead, think more positive thoughts instead of put yourself in the worry or negative aspect of the situation? You attract that which you give the most energy. Trust that you will be provided for, and that you will be healthy and free from illness. You get that which you desire. Too often you get the opposite of what you think you are asking because you haven’t disciplined yourself to be aware of what you are saying. Most people don’t think they are asking for the flu. Pay attention to the conversations around you. I can guarantee you from the conversations I hear, and all the attention people give to it, they are attracting it to their life.
How about you? The key to shifting your negative thoughts is to have some discipline with what you think, say, do and believe. What area of your life could use some discipline with your thoughts? How can you start paying attention to what you are attracting in your life with your thinking? Where could you shift the negative thinking to a more positive focus on what you desire? Most often, all it takes is a little discipline to shift your thinking on what you want rather than on what you don’t want.
What dreams do you have burning inside of you? What thoughts are you thinking about how to make them come true? Are you using fantasy thinking that someday when I have the time or have enough money to retire? Or, could you use some discipline to help create your dream? Write out your dream. See it clearly. Then ask yourself, what action step could I take today to bring that dream closer to reality? Start out doing something 3 times a week. Then increase the number of days you are doing something toward that dream. Before you know it, your dream will be a reality! Start now, no more excuses or wishful thinking.
Now that I am working at home for my business one of the things I have to make sure I do is create some discipline in my schedule. It is easy for me to squander away days working out, going to lunch with friends and running up to the city to be with my daughter and sometimes walk her dogs. What a great life to be free and do as I please when I want, yet I have big plans for my life. Without some focus and discipline, my dream will only be a fantasy rather than the reality of my heart.
I am working on building my coaching business. In order to do that, I have to create some boundaries and set some timelines to achieve my dream. There are lots of steps to take to do. So if I am not disciplined and inspired enough to do the work, I could easily put off moving ahead. The freedom, discipline and inspiration keep me pumped up to do the many steps needed to create my business!!!
Where in your life could discipline help make your life easier, more meaningful and productive? Or even fulfill your dream?
Discipline can provide you the results you desire if you view it in a positive way. Sometimes you think of discipline as getting in the way of allowing you to do what you want. The truth is discipline provides safety and structure. The problems you might have with discipline is the meanings of what you have given to it. What have you created discipline to mean for you? What pops up for you around having the discipline to follow a structured plan? Where in your life could it be helpful to create some discipline to have more of the life you desire? For me, I hired a personal trainer to help me with weight lifting because I know on my own, I am not disciplined enough to make myself do the body building I need to have the most healthy bones and body I need.
My husband and I just finished our 24 day Advocare Challenge with success. Our son and daughter-in-law had recently completed it and had great results losing some weight so we decided we would try. The program has a plan and is very structured. My husband said he could do anything for 24 days. He liked the idea of a focused program. The discipline of a defined plan was helpful by taking one day at a time. It was nice to have each other to remind us what we were to do for that day. We were disciplined to get the exact food and supplements for each meal we needed out for the day. The first 10 days is the cleanse period. The last 14 days are burn days and refuel days. Each meal and snack is clearly defined.
Lots of thoughts popped up for me around the discipline of all of this. It was really helpful to have the plan and structure. It gave us a focus each day. We knew what we needed to do. Too much of this would feel too confining and unrealistic. I am sure that is why they figured 24 days was a good number of days for you to feel rewarded with some good results. We both felt really good about being disciplined enough to follow the plan. The structure was helpful for us in this goal we had chosen. It took discipline and support for us during this Challenge. Where could you use some discipline in your life?
Where in your life has discipline helped you achieve some of the desires you have had? Where has it closed opportunities for you and with others? Have you used that understanding to help create the boundaries in your life you need? What is one way you could add some discipline to your day to help relieve the burden of feeling overwhelmed or exhausted?
When you hear the word discipline, what is the first thing that pops up for you? Many of us have some resistance around the word because of growing up and how it was used with us. I grew up in a military family where my father was the boss. There were very strict rules and guidelines – yes, sir, yes, mam, lots of order and discipline. You had dinner at 5 p.m., the 4 girls cleaned up, did homework, bathed and got to bed and did the same routine each evening. We all had our chores to do on given days and times. We had to be home at the exact time we were told to be in, or we would be grounded an evening for every minute we were late. I felt like it was rigid but I became a disciplined person.
As I grew older, I could make other choices on how I handled my life if I desired. At first, I didn’t realize there were other ways of doing things. But as I had more of life experiences, I saw all kinds of ways of handling situations like being on time to work, school or appointments. Wow, was I glad I knew how to be on time.
Like most things, I think you realize the wisdom in some of the things you were taught. I have been grateful that I had the discipline and order in my life because it allowed me to be someone that people could count on. It provided me with some structure and security by knowing what to expect. The downsize is that I, too, became rigid in the ways I expected things to be done. Later, I realized most things didn’t have to be so right or wrong. Life has a way of mellowing you.
What I know from my coaching, discipline is a major tool to living the best life you can. Discipline actually frees you because you have established boundaries for your life. It allows you to follow through with your commitments, set some structures and anchors in your life, take responsibility for your actions, and do what you say you are going to do.
Where in your life could you use more discipline? Or less?
What ways do you provide some self care? How is your balance with your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual parts of your life? What do you do to shift the scales back to balance when you know you are out of sorts? Take some time and give each of these areas a percentage of time you spend in each one. Then ask yourself what percentage of time would you like to spend in each. Look at the gap. Commit to doing one thing in each of the areas that have a gap to move back to balance. What a great exercise in showing some self love!
It’s been a good week to reflect on self love and how I am living it each day. As I think about how I care for myself physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, I think about the balance of these. For me the week was a fabulous week physically. I pushed myself in a few different ways – walked Hefner Lake with a friend, Bo and I hiked Lake Thunderbird 8 ½ miles and then I took a physically challenging aerobic class that pushed my heart rate plus all my other yoga classes, trainer and walking I do. I also ate very healthy – my husband and I are doing the 24 Day Challenge from Advocare.
Mentally, I finished a book I was reading, did some magazine reading, did some research on some speakers, and played Spider Solitaire. Emotionally, I shared lots of love this week since Valentines was here. I also had to do some apologizing. Bo was being so kind and was trying to help me. I was frustrated at the time, and complained rather than saying Yes even though it didn’t fit what I thought at the time. He was being so good and I was a grump. I immediately went to apologize and acknowledge his great offerings. Because I thought if I want someone to do something for me, why would they when I act like I did. (Notice how you might send a mixed message that you really don’t want). He was trying to be helpful, and I do appreciate that yet my response was hurtful.
And, Spiritually, I did 30 minutes of meditation each day, read my daily spiritual books, read all my online inspirational messages, watched Joel Osteen with Bo, listened in my car to Abraham-Hicks CD and tried to live with more love and joy. What I haven’t always done so well, is acknowledge myself for taking good care of me, loving all I do good for myself. I mostly didn’t even pay attention to it.
Today I have been trying to love myself more, I do take notice. I know when I’m out of balance. I know when I haven’t been outdoors enough. I know it so it is one of the clues to myself to amp up what I am doing to show some self love. Nature fuels my soul. I know when I haven’t emotionally taken care of that which is important to me. Mostly for me that is am I giving quality time and being 100% present to those I care about.
What fuels you?