One Apple A Day #626 - discipline
"How are we to become a warrior? There are certain characteristics of the warrior that are nearly the same around the world. The warrior has awareness. That's very important. We are aware that we are at war, and the war in our minds requires discipline. Not the discipline of a soldier, but the discipline of a warrior. Not the discipline from the outside to tell us what to do and what not to do, but the discipline to be ourselves, no matter what." — Don Miguel Ruiz, The Four Agreements.
I've been struggling with presence and focus since I can remember. When I was a kid, my mind was continually wandering in a world of fantasy. I was under the sea with Captain Nemo, on a boat with Harvey Cheyne, fighting with the pirates or travelling to the centre of the Earth. Anywhere but not wherever my body was.
Even growing up, I kept being a wandered of the mind. My thoughts always floating between past, present and future. Reality and fantasy.
Over the here, this rambling mind of mine has become an invaluable tool. It helped me do some of the things I love the most; find connections, dig out ideas, change often, begin many different things.
The other side of the coin is the struggle to focus on one thing, to keep the ball rolling until the work is done, to finish what I start, to close what I open.
Through different experiences, starting from school and going through various jobs, I've learned that discipline is how I can teach my wandering mind to focus. So, over the years, I've created different structures and systems to bring discipline in my life. However, almost every time, those systems and structures failed me. I thought it was part of the game. Then the other day, while I was going through my notes in search for something I need to write a post, I found some words I highlighted many months ago from The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz.
They've been working in my head for a few days.
The discipline of a warrior.
The discipline to be ourselves, no matter what.
It's time for me to approach discipline in a whole new way.