Finding Freedom in Self-Discipline

This topic might be hard to absorb today…but I want you lean in anyway. 

Notice how your body reacts and try to sit through it, because we’ve all been faced with this theme at some point in our lives and it’s not an easy one to admit or sit in, so take a deep breath and bear with me. 

This week’s reflection is on self-descipline. 

In fact, in yoga, there are eight limbs of yoga that teachers live by and the first two are based around self-discipline. An external practice, (yamas) and an internal practice, (niyamas). So when I learned about these in yoga teacher training, the thoughts I already felt around self-discipline were cemented into place. 

Because here’s the thing….

True discipline isn’t about rigidity, it’s about freedom. 

It’s about freeing yourself from the materiialistic things that you are letting get in the way of your true Self and purpose. 

In fact, my email earlier this month on distractions is really what inspired this week’s email. Because self-discipline is all about cutting out the distractions to tune in.

There’s a reason why we think self-discipline is hard and it’s because it requires us to do hard things. And let’s face it, our society has made it entirely too easy to succumb to a life of ease. 

We typically chase activities that allow us to be relieved of our responsibility. And I could throw a ton of examples at you, but chances are you can think of some yourself. 

When have you opted to put a responsibility on hold to take the easy way out? I’m not going to lie to you, I’ve been working through this myself this week and finally took responsibility for something I’ve been meaning to do. And what was I doing instead? Distracting myself, taking myself out of the fight, ignoring my responsibility to the situation. 

Self-discipline is facing the responsibility head on. Put on your armor and do the hard thing. It won’t be easy. The conversation you’ve been meaning to have? It’s going to hurt. The boundary you’ve been meaning to set? It’s going to be uncomfortable. Taking care of yourself? Whew….I know, the hardest of all. 

We tend to make rational excuses, especially to ourselves, for being “out of alignment”. This implies that we don’t have a choice in the matter. We are shifting the responsibility outside of us and blaming it on something else….oof. Sorry, I know that was a hard hitter. 

When actually, you have a choice in everything. You have the power to decide how you show up in this world. 

And once you accept that you have a choice, you can start taking responsibility for how you show up. 

And this? 

This is the first step to stepping into your true purpose or expanding further into the path that you’ve already set yourself on. This is how you go deeper and get more out of life. 

There’s freedom in self-discipline. This week, try having a mindset of “I get to” versus “I have to”. 

And see how your life changes.