Last week we spoke about the first 4 principles of success as described in "The Rhythm of Life" by Matthew Kelly (more here : day-1-purpose; day-2-priorities; day-3-balance; day-4-discipline). Today we delve into the fifth principle: Discipline (Just a small but important note, the term success here can be applied to many areas of life, and ultimately, it's really just about intentionally becoming the best version of yourself.) Principle 5: GROWTH “If you are not growing, you are slowly dying.” Growth is a non-negotiable principle of life. It doesn't have to be a constant upward progress, it can be seasonal, but it's gotta happen in order to avoid the soul shrinking that will happen as a result. Stagnation is not neutral...it's regressive and stagnant water becomes putrid and also has the tendency to infect things around it. Growth must be intentional and often requires humility-admitting what you don't know, where you need help and recognizing a need for change. We often mistake growth for intensity-doing moer, pushing harder, building up speed. But we must not confuse momentum with growth. Think of riding a bike down a not so smooth hill and at the end you need to make a turn. Momentum on it's own could end up being catastrophic--being intentional with how you navigate the hill, when to apply the breaks, when to maybe even walk the bike is necessary. This analogy is only in relation to momentum because part of growth may also need to bring in the question "is this a hill that's really best suited for my goal/my life". Sustainable growth requires integration meaning that it requires the space to process, reflect, and consolidate what has been learned. Without this rhythm/balance, growth becomes compulsive and lessons aren't fully learned.Again, it's not necessarily about speed. It's tough though because we can struggle with delayed gratification sometimes.

Going with something simple today. 😊 When was the last time you changed your mind about something?

Any highlights you guys wanna share from the past week/weekend? Anything you're looking forward to this upcoming week? Here's a picture of the sunrise I got to catch this morning. It was SO cold, but so beautiful and worth it.

Praying SWEET blesSINGS over your day , week & year dear @Georgiana D ❣️ MAY it be your BEST YEAR EVER !!!! Let's sing & bless her all week long ~ @Lisa Vanderveen @Vasi Smith @Serena DAfree @Joshua Haag & co ... I am so grateful for her friendship & all the ways she cheers up so many people & communities besides her special community here ! Sending a HUGE HUG NOW . ... with lots of bouquets of flowers & love ~~ I AM CERTAINLY CELEBRATING YOU today & always ~ LET'S DANCE

In the last three days we spoke about the first 3 principles of success as described in "The Rhythm of Life" by Matthew Kelly (more here : day-1-purpose; day-2-priorities; day-3-balance ). Today we delve into the fourth principle: Discipline (Just a small but important note, the term success here can be applied to many areas of life, and ultimately, it's really just about intentionally becoming the best version of yourself.) Principle 4: DISCIPLINE “Discipline is choosing between what you want now and what you want most.”-Abraham Lincoln “No man is free who is not master of himself.” -Epictetus “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” -Aristotle This one can be rough...In many ways people looking in may think that I'm pretty disciplined in a lot of areras of life...but there are many that I want (or....want to want?) to be more disciplined in and I fall again and again...The easy way out, the distractions, the comfort, the lure of the status quo sometimes still win out.. Stemming from the Latin for "to teach," discipline is training for self-control and character. Benefits of discipline involve better outcomes, stable relationships, and increased well-being. It fills the gap between intention/dreaming and reality. Discipline is...wait for it....discipline is self-respect in action. We want to respect ourselves, don't we? Small repeated choices shape our character and it builds self trust and each small act of discipline is a lil vote towards the person we want to be and over time these votes compound. Compound effect is a real thing! Think about the direction you want that compound effect to go. Pychologically, discipline is closer to self-regulation than self-control and it's more about creating conditions where success is more likely. When we struggle with follow through, it'srarely because of laziness (which sometimes people shame themselves with this type of language) but it's more likely that the nervous system is overwhelmed, dysregulated, or trying to avoid pain.