What I want more than anything else right now is to achieve self-discipline. Quitting might seem an odd way to begin focusing on that goal, but a key aspect of self-discipline, as opposed to imposed discipline, is that it should be meaningful.
For me, daily blogging is not meaningful. It’s a dead bore – largely because I’m so darn fixated on thinking about something to write about that will justify hitting the publish button, that I don’t have time to think or do anything that’s actually worth writing about. Enough! Henceforth, I will aim to write a little every day, but to post only weekly, on Wednesdays.
Mainly, though, I want to begin establishing some other disciplines, or habits. And this is a challenge, because although being up and moving is easier and less painful, it’s still hard. My energy levels are still frustratingly low; I really thought they’d be better by now, but although my head is generally clearer and I have periods of reasonable energy, I get tired quickly. I guess that’s to be expected when you’re carrying around a whole extra person.
Anyway… I’ve made a list of stuff I need to do every day. Mostly it’s housework and a few outside chores. There’s some desk work, including writing and income generation, so that when I need to sit down I can do so without wasting time. And there are some activities I do just for joy’s sake, like training Argos.
Little by little, I am reconstructing my life, incorporating a richness than I’ve not been able to allow myself for … far too long.
With the Daniel diet I’m getting my body into shape. No of course I haven’t quit the diet – do you think I’m nuts? It’s no fun and I’m pretty sick of it, but I’ve survived the first 25%; just one month to go and I can adopt a less restrictive approach to eating. I’ll be controlling my diet for the rest of my life, of course, but it won’t always have to be this stringent.
Anyway … the body is coming right. Now I want to expand beyond my skin and pay a little more attention to my immediate environment.
At the back of my mind is the knowledge that I’m still neglecting the most important task, which is to focus on the spiritual … but I’m just not ready to do that right now. It’s too easy to start out praying and end up navel-gazing. So I’m just trusting in God to wait for me for a little longer.
That’s all for now, folks. Thanks for staying with me!
Your turn. Are you happy with the shape of your life right now? What techniques help you live to the full each day?
Hiya dear heart – I have been reading every single post, just able to grab internet opportunity when possible as I have been in SA for 3 weeks….not had the chance to write any comments til now. You are inspirational in a most honest way and I salute you! When I did my detox (similar to Daniel diet) I felt very much like you do now…but I reckon you will see much clearer results than I did 🙂 Thinking of you…will write a newsy email soon, as I settle back into real life after so long away x
LikeLike
Hello Mrs Mac – Thank you, as always, for the words of encouragement. When are we going to see some of your wonderful writing on Liquorice Allsorts?
LikeLike
No way I could do every day. It’s like you said – you’re then looking for something to write about instead of it just coming naturally. But a good effort!
LikeLike
I am even more impressed now by columnists who come up with something new every day! I was beginning to feel quite miserable, wondering if I had ANY stories or ideas worth sharing. Then yesterday, instead of writing, I sat down and listed topics that I’d like to write about … It is long enough to last a lifetime. But good stories, and valued readers, deserve not to be rushed.
LikeLike
Appreciate the honesty. You go ahead and blog at your pace. You’re tending to some really important basic needs…just your health, for one. =)
Xx
Diana
LikeLike
Thank you so much for checking in, and for the encouragement. Wednesday snuck up on me, of course, so I’m sitting here furiously finishing my post for this week. So much for taking time over it. On the other hand, you’re right, just sticking with the diet is about as much as I can handle some days at the moment.
LikeLike
When I first read your post, it brought to mind my recent post “What I’m Not Sorry About”. Not that I was projecting those thoughts on my post onto you. Just that you need never feel bad about the pace you take out here.
LikeLike