This year, like millions of you, I’m going to exercise more. I’m not sure yet if my program is going to be more or less painful than yours, but hopefully we’ll both be better for it. My New Year’s resolution is to exercise self-discipline.
Like physical exercise, self-discipline can’t go from couch-potato form to an Iron Man. Self-Discipline is a muscle that needs regular workouts to keep it strong and supportive. BIG goals require that support to keep them on track. My BIG goals have enough challenge from the outside world; they don’t need my inside world getting in the way!
So I sat down and wrote 26 self-discipline exercises to get in shape for my own personal Iron Man (like ripped abs for the mind!) Each Sunday evening I make a random draw of the exercise I will do for the coming week. If I miss a day, that exercise carries over to the next week until I have mastered it.
The first week started off easy: 15 minutes of meditation each night before bed. Or so I thought. Meditating with a raging headache after a really trying day made for a looooong 15 minutes, most of which was spent in (a familiar) mental argument with my flabby self-discipline. And it won.
Next week takes it up a notch: only fruits, vegetables and fish. Let’s just say that my self-discipline muscle will get quite a workout! Any favorite recipes or tips out there to help get me through? Want to join me in the self-discipline gym?
