discipline is sexy

i’m coming off of a social media break headfirst [back] into blogging. there’s so many things that i have learned during my time off of social media. it is so weird because i did not realize i was kind of “addicted” to social media… and i put that word in quotes because addiction is not something to joke about, but if i wake up in the morning and the first thing that i do is check my apps before i have a morning prayer, a meditation, or a moment to read any of my devotional/books — that is a problem.

prior to my break from social media i was really diving into what discipline means for me: what is discipline? what do i want to be disciplined in? am i even disciplined? there were so many questions i had about this concept, so i dove into prayer and meditation to reflect on what that was for me. little did i know i was more disciplined than i thought i was…

first, what is discipline? the term “discipline” comes from a Latin word called “disciplina,” which refers to the process of teaching and training. this word is derived from another word, “discere,” which means “to learn.” so, when we talk about discipline, we’re essentially referring to the ways in which we learn and train ourselves to follow certain rules or behave in a particular manner.

i am disciplined

through me deciding to dive into being more disciplined (through my prayer and meditation — morning and night [at least] and meditating at least once a day) more things that i am disciplined about came to mind:

1. i follow a vegan lifestyle — it is a conscious choice to choose no animal products in my food and i’ve been vegan for ~8 years. granted, it is much easier now to follow this type of lifestyle than a couple of years ago, but having no desire to consume animal products has come because of my discipline to not choose it.
2. i have (long!!!!) locs — if you would have told me a year into my loc journey that five years later i would have long locs, practically near my lower back, i would not have believed you. this is not because i did not think that i could have done it, but because i could not stop thinking about cutting my hair and just being totally over waiting for the next phase; and yet, here i am six years in and i feel more connected to my hair, and myself, than i ever have.
3. working for myself — technically, i work for my family’s business, DynamikWorks, but this is just as much working for myself. i want to see my family succeed. i want my family and i to reach our individual/collective goals. i will do my part how i can, so not having a “traditional” job can ensure that all my energy is to doing my part for our succeeding business(es).

challenging myself

discovering just these three things about myself made me realize that i am much more disciplined than i thought, but i decided to challenge myself to see that i can intentionally do these things because i chose them and made a commitment.

1. i did a 30 day challenge — i created graphics everyday for 30 days with a quote featured on it. there were days that i did not want to do it. there were days where i almost forgot to post. there were days where i just was not in the mood and did not want to be bothered, but i kept telling myself that this is something that i chose. this is a decision that i made of my own volition to prove to myself that i can do it… and honestly, when those 30 days were up, i did indeed feel a sense of accomplishment. i was proud of myself (soon you’ll be able to purchase some of those graphics for a phone + laptop background).
2. i meditated everyday for 30 days — this was amazing. i loved this (and i continue to do this; i am almost at a 100 day streak). taking time everyday to have [even just] five minutes of quiet time, intentional breathing, and quieting of the mind is incredibly imperative. to be able to have a chance to just be still and be quiet is very underrated. once you begin to have those quiet moments you will not want to stop having them.

having discipline taught me it’s okay to say, “no”. having discipline taught me that my goals and dedication to growing is important. having discipline taught me the things that i thought were important… were not that important. having discipline taught me that not everyone has discipline. having discipline taught me that not everyone takes the commitments they make to themselves seriously. having discipline taught me that choosing to be disciplined will set you apart. having discipline makes you sexy.

are you disciplined? has discipline taught you anything? what ways do you practice discipline?