What do MLK, Ghandhi, Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, Michael Jordan, Shakespeare, Tony Robbins, Daniel Day Lewis, Meryl Streep, and the Ninja Turtles all have in common? Discipline: the ability to master themselves and in doing so, they master whatever endeavor they take on. Well, we are no different. We are our own “James Bonds” with a mission POSSIBLE if we choose to step into it fully.
The question that most of us have is: “HOW and WHAT is my mission?” But here is the key: bliss, aka what makes your heart smile. You see, I believe that what you seek is seeking you. Like the fog blocking out the sun. The sun is always there giving light. Your life’s purpose has and will always be there awaiting your alignment, whether you’re 15 or 55. When we get to the core of everything, we do things for a feeling. So one could say, “I want a million dollars,” and then ask themselves why, and the first answer may be, “so I can change the world, take care of my family, travel, and enjoy the finer things in life.” Then, if we asked “why?” again and again, we would eventually get to “because it feels good.” This is what Steve Jobs, Beethoven, da Vinci, children, and many others figured out. Do what you love and the universe will conspire on your behalf.
See, I believe that there is a universal intelligence that moves with us when WE move in the direction of our purpose. Basically, I believe in MAGIC. Discipline can feel like blissipline when we get in the zone, focus on why we’re doing what we’re doing and understanding our reason for being here.
There is a season for planting and a season for reaping, and I say they should both be equally as fun and exciting. To ensure you have an awesome harvest, all year round, here are three steps to get you prepared for your blissipline:
1. Schedule your beat down — FACT: When it comes to self-sabotage, procrastination is king. Why? Because procrastination is the gap between intention and action. You will fall off, miss a day, forget, etc. and that’s normal. What’s NOT fun is beating ourselves up for five days straight afterwards. So, schedule a time that you’ll let it go after you slip up. We’re all perfect in our imperfections. It’s time we embrace them. Martin Luther King says:
We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.
Funny thing is that we need to forgive ourselves more than anyone else. So scheduling it gives the subconscious mind an alarm clock to look out for just like when you know you have an appointment you have to be at.
2. Celebrate everything. Reminding yourself that every step you take and everything you do towards your mission is a mini celebration in the cosmos. We get so caught up in the destination that we sometimes miss the NOW and subsequently, we miss the daily victories. Yes, the birthday is important but not any more important than the third trimester of the pregnancy. It’s all amazing. ALL OF IT. Appreciation is a game changer, especially for the self. The more we are recognized for our deeds, the more we want to do them. When we celebrate life, life gives us more and more to celebrate.
3. Have a strong “WHY.” This is the crux of what blissipline is all about: starting with the end in mind. When you figure out the feeling you’re going after, the REASON you’re committing to something new in your life, goal setting and continued discipline is way more effective. Studies show that if we are just thinking about something, we have a significantly less chance of accomplishing whatever it is that we are thinking about. However, if we think about it and then write it down, it jumps up to a very high percentage. Like in a 1979 Harvard study where the 13 percent of the class who had goals were earning, on average, twice as much as the 84 percent who had no goals at all. And 3 percent who had clear, written goals were earning, on average, 10 times as much as the other 97 percent put together. Moreover, I believe that if we think about it, write it down and then TELL somebody else that the likelihood of realizing that goal is very probable. Pretty powerful, isn’t it? So make sure you get clear about your “WHY” and write it down.
So if you’re tired of New Year’s resolutions that never get fulfilled or projects that never get completed, make the shift from discipline to BLISSIPLINE and change the game. Give yourself permission to not be perfect along the path, celebrate your wins along the way and keep your “WHY” front and center. Make this the year that you become your own hero, that you manifest all that you could possibly dream of, but remember… it starts with you.
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. –Aristotle
I’m Preston Smiles and I live by the creed, “Love will find a way, everything else will find an excuse.”
When you add love-based “bliss” to the concept of discipline, you leverage your energy and power immensely in good directions.” – Bob Fagan
