Platform B

𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂! It’s Week 47 with only 5 more weeks to go until 2025 ends.
So, what’s on your mind this week? 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 is center stage in my head at the moment, consuming every waking hour. I want to understand how the heck I can become more disciplined!

Let me give you an example.
On January 1st, I decided that I would post consistently every week for 52 weeks. I started off well, as we all do. But then things started to slip. So instead of Happy Monday every week, it became Happy whatever day, just as long as I did a post. I was rather pleased that I relinquished the perfectionist and embraced the philosophy of ‘good enough’ but somewhere at week 20, I lost it. I fell off the wagon and didn’t post for another 27 weeks. As I write that number, I’m shocked. How did this happen? What happened? Where have I been for the last 6 months?

Which brings me to this theme of DISCIPLINE. My discipline muscle seems to be unnaturally weak, and this annoys me. How do disciplined people do it? What do they have that I don’t have? Is there a gene for discipline?

Typically, as we do these days, I went directly to ChatGPT and Google, where I was fed the usual standard answers. For example, define clear goals, start small, establish routines, make it easy. There is nothing wrong with these ideas, but I’m a much harder nut to crack. 😤

The next layer of advice was slightly better: focus on doing instead of not doing, connect to your WHY, use accountability, embrace discomfort.

🤔 “Embracing the discomfort” caught my attention. This is perhaps where I struggle most. My monkey brain says, why would I stay in pain! Ouch, let’s not. Let’s run away, let’s grab a painkiller. Like a pleasure-seeking missile my brain goes into overdrive searching for the escape hatch.

If I follow the logic, it would appear that to be disciplined, you need to cope with pain. Is this the answer? Do I need to build up my tolerance for suffering?

It’s only Monday and my head is bursting with ideas that need unpacking so I'm going to keep writing about my search for the discipline gene.

For anyone reading this who is disciplined, can you share your thoughts, please. Why can you do it, and what can you teach people like me?

For those who feel undisciplined, let’s explore this together. I’m convinced there is a way to build the Discipline Muscle and get the benefits that being disciplined brings.
Until next time.
Jacinta 😄

𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝟭𝟱 - 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗚𝗶𝗿𝗹 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝗻! 💫

Happy Thursday everyone. This week a friend and I were having an interesting conversation about having fun. We both realised that we've forgotten how to have fun. We've become too serious and spend too many hours per week thinking about what we 'should' be doing. Things like work projects, cleaning the house, trying to lose weight, trying to be more productive.......

But then I got thinking about what do I love doing? Of course, I love going out for dinner with my friends, but what else do I love to do? Fun should be more than just eating. Am I so boring!

𝗔𝘀 𝗜 𝘀𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗻 𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝗲.
- I love my work, and it brings me lots of joy. So working is fun for me and it's OK that I work on weekends sometimes.

- I love singing and making music - but I have NO-ONE to do that with. And music is about sharing. I need to find some musicians to hang with.

- I love meeting new people but I've been too lazy to get out and about.

It's time for me to come out of hibernation and find my tribe here in Haarlem.

Please share your tips for having fun with me, but only tips that do not involve eating and drinking. 😆

Happy Thursday,
Jacinta x