Wake Me Up: Morning Positivity - Morning Motivation - Loving Discipline | Unlock Joy on the Path to Success

Episode Date: May 23, 2023

This morning, explore the concept of loving self-discipline and use it to find an inspirational path towards the life of your dreams. Want to be more focused? Wish distractions would just melt away? Sign up for the WMU Focus Course! If you're interested in joining, all you need to do is sign up for the course here: https://wakemeuppod.gumroad.com/l/focus. Get ad-free access to the entire WMU catalog + bonus content + 25% discount on WMU courses by joining the WMU Premium Feed. Sign up and start your 7-day free trial at https://wakemeup.supercast.com/. Follow the show on Spotify - Apple Podcasts - Amazon - Podchaser Say hi or request an episode at www.wakemeuppodcast.com/contact. See visual guides for the yoga and stretches in WMU episodes at www.wakemeuppodcast.com/stretches. And find the podcast on Instagram and TikTok. **Only partake in the physical movements suggested in Wake Me Up episodes if you are physically able and in safe surroundings. All movements are done at the individual's own risk. Be safe, and always consult a doctor if you have any questions or concerns.** Have a wonderful day 😃 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wake Me Up is made possible thanks to the generous help of our advertisers and premium supporters. If you'd like to support Wake Me Up, listen ad-free, and get access to the entire catalog plus bonus episodes, then follow the link in the show notes to sign up for Wake Me Up Premium. Now before our episode begins, here's a quick word from our sponsors. Hey there, and welcome to Wake Me Up. As always, I'm your host, Tyler. This week, we're talking about discipline, and more specifically, how we can practice a more productive type of discipline that still keeps us moving towards our goals, but avoids those negative internal feelings we often have around discipline. Today, in this motivational bit, we're going to get into the concepts of loving and supportive discipline even deeper. But before we dive in, just take one moment to pause.

And no matter what you expect out of yourself for today, whatever rules you've got to follow, whatever things you have to do, just appreciate that you're here, that you've showed up for another beautiful day of life. And accept that whatever happens, you're going to be proud of yourself at the end of that. this day. You're going to laugh at your mistakes and you're going to learn from them with the

purpose of moving forward. Now let's take two deep breaths. So inhale, fill all the way up, hold, and then exhale, release, just let the air fall back out. Once more, inhale, fill all the way up, hold at the top exhale release fantastic now if you're in bed use this moment to roll over make your way up and out of bed and get your day started the people who live the happiest most fulfilling lives they're not the ones who are the richest they're not the ones who are the smartest or the fastest or the strongest necessarily they're the ones who show up every day and live life in their way. So choose to be one of those people.

And just go about your morning routine as I dive into these concepts around loving discipline. Discipline, when practice kindly, is a catalyst for creating the life that you want for yourself. But we're accustomed to hearing the word discipline and feeling stress and force around it. Indeed, the word discipline is often understood to mean both adherence to a set of rules and separately, punishment for disobeying rules. We've been taught to believe that having discipline means pushing through. But the root word of discipline is actually disciple, which is a Latin word meaning student. And that's so fascinating, isn't it?

the feelings that we've come to associate with discipline are with force and punishment. But when we look deeper into its meaning, it's actually about learning. By its true definition, the most compassionate form of discipline comes from embracing the fact that self-improvement is a learning experience. The thing is, discipline is an absolutely necessary tool. It's normal to have a gap between where we're, we are now and where we want to be in the future. And when we can embrace that gap as an opportunity, then we can become more. That growth mindset and the discipline necessary to carry this out are both learnable skills. Punishing ourselves for what we haven't achieved yet is unproductive.

It doesn't make us more disciplined. Instead, it makes us hate and be ashamed of ourselves. It suggests that we're not good enough. Shame solidifies negative beliefs about ourselves into an identity that isn't aligned with the truth about who we are and the compassion that we deserve, no matter how far along the journey we are. So if degrading ourselves for falling out of line isn't the path, what is? Well, it's building habits that are fueled by kindness, creating a compassionate relationship between where we are now and where we want to be. Changing that mindset, which is based in self-punishment,

into a mindset that's fueled by self-compassion. And that takes time and patience. Let's take an example so I can show you what I mean. And let's say you want to get in shape. That's your goal. So you make an ambitious plan to go to the gym every morning at 7 a.m. for an hour before work.

and you tell yourself, I have to stick to this plan no matter what. That's how I'm going to succeed. You make it happen for the first few days, but then you stay up too late one night, or you wake up feeling a little ill, and you don't have the motivation to go. The part of you that's striving for your goal is disappointed. That little voice in the back of your head says,

if you were good enough, then you would have powered through and gone to the gym this morning. That is the self-shaming discipline we don't want. The compassionate disciplinarian in you would do this instead. They'd see it as a learning opportunity. Maybe the rule needs to be adjusted. You go every morning unless you're feeling sick, in which case you have a valid reason to rest.

Or maybe morning isn't your most motivated time of day, and you'd be more successful going in the afternoons instead. The latter accomplishes what we really want from discipline, being a disciple of the self, using rules and your failure to follow those rules to learn about who you are and how you really work. This is the only way that we can reach goals repeatedly throughout life without simultaneously hating ourselves. This kind of loving discipline can be a difficult flip of the switch. It takes a deep commitment to kindness, self-compassion, patience, and above all, honor and respect for yourself.

When you show yourself that you can commit to things, show up, and find a way to see them through. You will learn over time that you really can count on yourself. You really do have follow through. And you really do have discipline. But discipline has. to have an element of flexibility. Being disciplined doesn't mean being perfect.

It doesn't mean talking down to yourself so that you constantly stay grinding. Real discipline honors your highest desires. Ultimately, we want to be disciplined because we want to achieve some goal. And to achieve that goal, above all, we need to understand ourselves and how we work. No one will reach the same goal in exactly the same way. Most of us, including myself, we've got a pretty twisted idea of what discipline is. So let me tell you what discipline is not. Discipline is not degrading or shaming yourself.

It's not hating on yourself when you make a misstep or break a rule you've set. This is what discipline is. It's setting rules and paying attention to when you fail to stick to them. It's being okay with those missteps and learning from them so that you can move more efficiently and effectively towards your goals. At its core, discipline is being a disciple of the self. This kind of practice isn't based in punishment, but in kindness and radical self-love.

It goes against what we've so often been conditioned to believe. A loving discipline practice embraces the understanding that we're already worthy of achieving all of our dreams and desires. We just have to figure out how to get there. And the work doesn't have to feel grueling. It doesn't have to be loaded with resistance. It can be filled with joy, play, laughter. And the best part is you get to be.

to decide what kind of discipline to implement with yourself. Intertwine yourself discipline with compassion, kindness, and a desire for self-understanding. You'll start to feel lighter and more eager to chase those goals. You'll remember each time you mess up that you are more than enough, and you are well on your way towards building the life that you desire. So each time you're practicing self-discipline or you break a rule you've set for yourself, remember why you're showing up. What's the goal that you want to accomplish?

And ask, what can I learn about myself from this misstep? How can I adjust my rules or my approach to do better next time? my friend, this is the right kind of discipline. Use discipline as a tool to be a student of yourself and watch as your life begins to transform. Well, that's all for today. Thanks so much for choosing to be here. I hope that you're inspired by this idea of loving discipline,

and I hope that you start putting it into practice. I'll be back tomorrow for this week's affirmation. on this exact same theme. And I hope to see you there. Until then, go out and have an absolutely fantastic day.