My good friend, who I call my soul sister, lives two hours away from me in Phoenix, AZ and I am in Tucson, AZ. Meeting up used to be inconsistent until we decided to create a structure and ritual for our meet ups. Now, we make a big to do about driving one hour, to meet in the middle, for lunch, and then coffee, to celebrate each solstice and equinox which occur once per quarter, at the beginning of each season.
During these celebrations, we reflect on the previous quarter. We assess our wins, our losses, our surprises our lessons, and then we plant seeds for the next quarter.
While planting seeds for the next quarter, during our winter solstice meet up this year, my soul sister quoted something she saw on Instagram that became a game changer for both of us,
“Discipline is an act of self-love.”
Wow. That hit me hard. People often ask me about self-love and I find it hard to put into words. This phrase just nailed it for me. Self-love is about showing up for yourself consistently. This phrase has become my mantra for the entire year. I write it at the top of my planner on a daily basis to keep it at the forefront of my mind. She added another important phrase,
“Discipline is in the practice.”
Yes. It is not about doing it perfectly. It is about simply being willing to practice.
My focus has been on creating daily practices that are sustainable and doable. One of the practices both my soul sister and I have been doing daily this year is morning pages. Morning pages were coined by Julia Cameron who wrote The Artist’s Way. If you haven’t read this book – check it out. It is a spiritual path of creativity and it is just amazing.
Morning pages are a daily practice of writing three pages when you first get up in an 8.5 by 11 notebook. This is not about writing something profound or interesting, or something that other people will read. This is simply for you. It is literally a brain dump. You get all that muck in your mind, onto the page. It is meditative in nature, and it helps you get in touch with your inner guide. I have found that after a few months of this practice, I genuinely look forward to waking up and putting my thoughts on the page. It is a kind of release for me and it sets up the rest of the day for success.
I have other little practices I do daily. I have a moon journal that tracks the cycles of the moon and the energy it brings. I use this for looking at patterns in my life. I also have a gratitude journal where I write a few things I am grateful for each day. I started using a planner where I put stickers in it and just fill it with joy and love. I try to read a little on most days. In the evenings, I have begun taking a second shower or bath, as a symbolic way of washing the day away.
I used to dislike the word discipline. It felt like a lot of pressure. Now I find it to be divine. It is something I get to do. I choose to do. It is a way I can truly show up for myself again and again.
How do you choose to show up for yourself? Are there practices you’d like to add to your daily routine?
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