Friday, August 21, 2015

Overflowing Discipline

I'm excited to share how my kiddos have responded to getting fired at home, but that is still playing out...and I don't want to share just yet.  Instead, I want to revisit something that seems to be a chronic issue in our country: a general lack of self-discipline.  

I would say I'm a fairly disciplined person, and I will be honest in saying that it's something I've really been developing over the last 4 or 5 years.  It's not that I was completely undisciplined before, but I have definitely reached a new level of self-discipline since I've been deliberately working on it. Here's my observation for today: discipline in one area of my life overflows into other areas of my life.  What does that mean?  It's craziness!  I didn't suddenly become a robot.  Let me explain how this played out for me.  When I began to develop discipline in my fitness, I started to work on my spiritual self-discipline.  I was getting up earlier, and getting home before my kids got up, so I had a little time to myself.  I began to use that time to read a devotional.  My spiritual discipline grew, and as a result, my personal development grew...which fed into my financial well being because I was opening my mind to new ideas and influence of those around me that are smarter about such things.  I started listening to Dave Ramsey and reading books by Jon Acuff and Andy Andrews.  I was learning from people that were teaching principles based on their faith and the Bible.  Do you see how all these are connected?  They are all tied together and they overflow into one another.  

 UL crimson red & cobblestone gray


When I went through the Daniel Plan earlier this year, they talked about that, too.  All the different aspects to our lives are connected and that's why we need to address each of them in order to be successful in one of them.  The exciting thing is that deliberate, positive changes can lead to positive changes in other areas, but the opposite is true, too.  What if I let one are of my life start slipping?  I don't think it's too long before another starts to slip, and then another.  Pretty soon I've gained 150 pounds, my kids are sassy and disrespectful, my marriage is on the rocks, and we're in the poor house.  Okay, that might be a bit of an exaggeration...or is it?  Those things don't happen over night, but they do happen--one choice at a time.

My challenge to you today is to make one positive, little choice today that you didn't make yesterday that will benefit yourself.  Don't start in every area of your life today, but start in one.  Maybe you'll go for a walk in the evening instead of watching TV.  Maybe you'll choose water with lemon and cucumber instead of soda.  I don't know what your little discipline choice will be or where it will go from there, but it's a start.  

I'd love to hear about your little choice and how you felt about it after you made it.  Please comment below.  I'm excited to hear about it!


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