My eldest son spoke these wise words during our recent conversation about productivity and good habits.
I was telling him that I wanted to reset my circadian rhythms as part of a productivity reset.
We both draw inspiration from philosophy and enjoy discussing the Stoics together. During this conversation, my son shared a beautiful quote from Seneca, “We treat the body rigorously so it will not be disobedient to the mind”.
My son explained that cultivating discipline in daily routines is crucial to achieving our goals. He emphasized the importance of listening to our intuition and flow and resetting our circadian rhythms to increase productivity.
I was so impressed by his eloquence and wisdom that I hit record. You may be surprised I didn’t edit his words – he speaks like this. He is a natural writer, and his words and writing are always aligned.
If you want to improve your habits and increase your productivity, I encourage you to take my son’s advice and cultivate discipline in your daily routine. It’s a form of self-love that can help you achieve your goals and live your best life.
My son’s words were
“Discipline is a form of self-love”, he began. “I went through my periods of depression, so now this discipline is my commitment to life. You need a deeply rooted philosophy, which is the ultimate motivator you can fall back on, knowing it will catch you and bounce you back up. (#purpose #findingyourwhy).
Discipline does not happen automatically. It is the self-correcting of your system achieved through intellect and willpower, which the body responds to over time. You are effectively ordering the chaos of your subconscious mind.”
He went on to tell me, “That is where daily exercise began for me; I didn’t have to push myself hard; I just needed something regular; the hard stuff came later. It was just twenty squats and some stretches at one point, and I had to go through what I had to go through to make that happen every day. Choose something easy and build up. This applies to any difficult task. Start small and build, but never compromise.”
“If you want your emotions to work with your intellect, then employ resolve. That is the emotion behind the making of a decision and the feeling of being unshakably committed to it. I only figured that out a few months ago. Resolve is that emotion to follow through, whether writing one thousand words or going for a run.”
He continued, “I always try to be emotionally kind and resolute with myself, but if I am whining in a manner reminiscent of a child, I bring the hammer down. When resistance not only pushes back but rears its ugly head, wearing the mask of your vulnerabilities, it is to be grabbed by the throat and reprimanded for attempting to break the pact you made with yourself regarding the taking of action towards self-love. Nothing should be allowed to stand in the way of this, especially yourself.”
Yes, that one beautiful description was all Nelson.
For the best mood, mental health, and physical health, six things must be front and centre: Regular sleeping and waking times (6-7 hours a night), natural light on the eyes as soon as you wake up, bodily movement every day, good nutrition, healthy social connections and stress control methods. These will make you ‘ok’ enough to do whatever you want. Another way to interpret discipline is freedom. Without strong legs to walk us up their slopes, the mountains would be lonely, and their beauty would be a mystery.
Discipline will mean different things to us all. Stating an intention for your day and taking a short walk is a beautiful discipline. You can set any level you want; the idea is to push yourself to do it daily.
Nelson and I have an 11-hour time gap and a 28-year age gap. My morning is his evening in Australia. We talked a little more, and when it was time to say goodbye, he said, “Thanks heaps for that, Mum; I hope you have an amazing day full of self-love.”
PS: Yes, I asked his permission to print this, and he gave me his blessing.
I’m Jannine Barron, a Regenerative Business Mentor transforming business perspectives on growth, impact, and legacy through nature-inspired mentoring. Informed by Kincentric & Regenerative Leadership, complimented by Intuitive coaching. Subscribe to updates here.
