So here's the deal. You have a definition for change, it's promised to, you know, it often feels bad unless you're in charge of it. And you know, it's kind of easy to get really attached to the pity and sympathy and the comfort and the intention just because they feel good. And we need them when things are going badly. So when we talk about embracing change, are we talking about self discipline, or discipling? myself?
Let's consider self discipline is self abusive. We learn how to do things we need to do through punishment, monitoring, restriction, and restraint. That's what we learned in school. Our teachers tell us, if you don't do this, you'll never go out to play period again. Or if you do that, I will leave you to your seat for the rest of your life. Or I've got eyes in the back of my head.
I can see everything that you're doing. And that gets us to do our homework. But there's got to be an alternative and what is it? We wonder what could we do instead of two ourselves the same way when we grow up. What's another way to think about it? I think we have to start with words.
Self discipline comes from the Latin discipline, instruction given teaching, learning or knowledge, discipline. And to disciple oneself comes from the root word, describe pilis, to be a student, a learner, or a follower. So we have these two words that give us a rich understanding, neither of which has anything to do with self abusive punishment, monitoring restriction and restraint. And they mean to teach oneself or to help oneself learn. I think that's a better way of looking at it. So self discipline then is a form of helping yourself learn through kind acceptance.
Self abusive discipline is punishment, monitoring. restriction and restraint. And you can think about that when you think about dieting or losing weight or saving money, or getting up on time. But self healing or self discipling comes from recognition, choice, leading or following, and learning through acceptance. It's a much kinder and more compassionate way to be towards yourself, and it makes change easier. So as a form of self discipline, it means recognizing that feelings aren't facts, recognizing the feelings of change, rolling up hill, and learning to laugh about it.
That's a hard one, it takes time and practice. It's also practicing change as opportunity instead of problem and focusing on what success means to you. shifting from the benefits of failure to the benefits of success. These are all important things and when you do these, you begin to give yourself room to Practice looking at the froms and the twos as a form of choice. When those feelings pop up and begin to say, Ah, what can I do differently here? That's important because that helps you begin to become who you really want to be, instead of who what has happened to you has made up