I know, you read the title of this post and your entire body filled with dread. Planning is torturous. Creating habits is just one of those trends that people talk about to sell books. You want your self-care when your body needs it, not on a schedule. Discipline is hard and heavy, but you want light and free.
But what if embracing discipline is actually your path to create that feeling of freedom?
While working in the fitness industry as both a Group Fitness Instructor and Personal Trainer, I’ve realized one thing…it isn’t about a specific class or training package that gives people the results they want, it is creating the lifestyle for themselves of simply being “someone who exercises”. The people that show up for themselves by exercising on the days we don’t have a Personal Training appointment, are the same ones who rarely cancel or if they do, they plan weeks ahead. The ones who don’t come to the gym or exercise outside of our appointments also cancel last minute at least 50% of the time. People convince themselves they are hiring a trainer for accountability but unless you embrace the discipline to show up no matter what, having or not having a trainer isn’t going to matter.
By creating a habit of exercise, those regular exercisers reap the rewards of increased energy, mental clarity, and better sleep (just to name a few). In other words, discipline gets them to the feeling of freedom that being healthy provides.
I used to fight discipline. We are supposed to feel happy and joyful, right?! Isn’t that what the books say? But slowly, I started implementing habits in my life, one by one, pushing through that heavier feeling, knowing that the rewards would be worth it.
I started with a sleep schedule to cure the wired and tired feeling that had me dragging all day in the office and wide awake at 3AM thinking about work. Then, it was a morning routine to ease into my day and get my exercise in before my kids woke up so I wasn’t flying out of my house with my hair on fire and already in a state of overwhelm. Next, it was implementing a time management system so I could get more things done, in less time. Following that, it was weekly 1:1 coaching to help me clear my mind clutter so I had space in my brain to think. Then, it was daily self coaching to keep it clear and help me create my life intentionally. Each time I implement a new habit, it creates more freedom in my life and replaces any heaviness I was previously feeling.
What areas of your life feel heavy right now? What daily habit can you create right now to put you on course to feeling free and calm?