Discipline, Procrastination, & Passion

Recently I’ve been putting a lot of thought into why I actually do, or don’t do, things. I mean, why is it that I a tend to live an undisciplined life? Why do I not want to do my laundry, wash dishes, lose weight, eat healthy, etc.? You’re issues may be different, but I bet there are things that you feel like you should do, but have a hard time following through with them.

Last week an idea really clicked with me. Living a disciplined life should not be the goal. Rather a discipline is something that I do so that I can live a certain way. The act of taking out the garbage isn’t my goal. Eating healthy isn’t my goal. Rather those are things that I do so that I can live life and not get distracted by those things.

So, what are some of my goals? I want to live a life full of passion. I want to be connected in meaningful relationships with people. I want to help people experience a meaningful life. So, I need to strategically lead my own life so that things don’t distract me from these goals. That’s where discipline enters the picture.

I want to focus on a few disciplines that help me to not get distracted from my goals:

  • By spending time in God’s Word, I can learn from His passion.
  • By focusing on my health, I can live more vigorously and invest more freely in relationships.
  • By studying and reading, I can develop skills in leading people.

I need to understand what my motivation is. It’s so easy to get caught up in a task and forget why it’s even important.

Where have you lost your motivation recently? What is an area of your life you want to grow in, and how can a discipline help with it?