This past Friday school started back up for the kids. With that comes busy days trying to get them to school, typical busy work schedule, after school activities, sports, maybe even a family dinner if we are lucky. As schedules start to get a little crazier, sometimes my wife and I reflect and joke on how we felt life was so busy a decade ago.
What has me somewhat puzzled when I look back at life a decade ago compared to now, I feel like I accomplish so much more when we have a hectic schedule. Why is it many of us actually accomplish more when we have an even more limited amount of time?
We’ve all heard of the term discipline. While there are many definitions of discipline, I believe it comes down to doing the things we know we need to do regardless of the obstacles presented. It’s the promise we make to ourselves to work out today and even if we’re feeling lethargic or have a packed calendar, we find time to work out. It’s the promise we make to ourselves that we will focus on a project no matter how much we may be dreading it. Discipline becomes the challenge of keeping the promises we make to ourselves because we know short term sacrifice makes a big impact long term.
One way our discipline is tested is when we make promises to ourselves, but time shrinks. The calendar is full, meetings are consuming, kids’ activities are endless. If we slowly let go to our grip on discipline, it can become a slippery slope to breaking promises we’ve made to ourselves. I’ve been guilty plenty of times for allowing the excuses of a busy schedule break promises I have for myself. I’ve found time and time again that while it may be easy in the moment, it’s painful down the road.
Discipline helps us acknowledge the short-term struggle of keeping the promises to ourselves is worth it for our future self. We deserve to continue to grow towards the person we’re striving to be, but it comes with making hard short-term decisions.
When we accept the challenge during extremely busy times, we often surprise ourselves just how much we can accomplish. I’ve noticed during times of craziness I have such a better understanding of the value of time which allows me to be a lot more focused with each hour of the day. There’s certainly balance of making sure your craziness doesn’t go over the top but don’t shy away from how busy schedules also give us a lot of practice building our discipline. When we are challenged, we provide space to learn and grow. When we learn and grow, we uncover ways to give us one of the best gifts we can have – carrying out the promises we make to ourselves.
Take your step: when busy times happen, reflect on what promises you’ve made yourself. Instead of taking the easy way out of letting go of promises, challenge yourself to stay disciplined and get more effective with your time. Get more detailed planning out your day and when tough short-term decisions arise, reflect on what decision will align with who you’re striving to become long term. We all have the choice – choose to keep promises to yourself.