How Discipline Can Light Your Path

On the last day of August—the day my license plates expired—I was feeling proud of myself for renewing them in time when I was told that before I could do that, I first needed an emissions test. Not just for one car, but for two. I had already agreed to do a favor for my brother that would require a lot of driving and I was pressed for time because I was leaving for a family vacation in Michigan the next day.

As I rushed from place to place, my sense of accomplishment started to flag. I was already thinking about the next big thing on my calendar, which is a very-big-deal retreat to swim with whales in Tahiti in mid-September that I’m taking with my daughter. 

Suddenly all of my fun plans became entangled with these ordinary life tasks and, in the space of a few breaths, became overwhelming. 

I had lost connection with my breath, forgetting for those few moments that my breath is what anchors me to the present moment. 

Strong energies, in the form of responsibilities or even fun stuff, can take us out of the moment and before we realize it, we’re white-knuckling our way through things because we’re trying to get to some future event. 

My word for this year is discipline. For me, this means an intention to focus on one thing at a time. Does it mean my schedule will go perfectly smoothly, with no detours or roadblocks? No. But if I can stay in the flow, moving with my breath, I can accomplish one thing at a time. 

My biggest fear used to be that discipline would take away my freedom. I’m a free spirit! I like to let my feelings guide me. But I’ve learned that discipline frees us and strengthens us. 

There is a saying, “the more trained the dog, the more freedom he has.” I know this is true for my dogs. Their energy is more grounded, less scattered, when they follow a daily routine. 

My routine begins before I get out of bed. I connect to my breath for about five minutes. I also stop for twenty to forty-five minutes during the day to do WhaleBreathing. 

This process of connecting intentionally to the breath is not a mental understanding. It’s beyond words. It’s more of a muscle memory, an energetic roadmap that I follow every day to be more present with myself on a deeper level. 

When I can stay grounded and trust that there is always enough time, I can let things flow. The more I stay in my body, the less I get lost in the chaos. This requires daily practice so when the stressful moments come, I’m not caught in the drama. I stop listening to the little voice in me that wants to be in control of everything.

I’ve needed discipline as I prepare for my next whale-watching trip. My last trip swimming with whales was in 2019 and I know that, in order to be able to process higher energies on this trip, I need to be fully in my body. Whales are the highest vibrational beings on the planet and each time I’m with them, I’m refilled in a new way. 

So I’ve been grounding myself with gardening and power-walking. I’m tending to my energy levels by watching what I eat and drinking a lot of water. I’m doing breathing exercises to prepare my breathing for snorkeling. 

And when the critical ego-voice arises, filling me with doubts like “How do I know how to telepathically talk to a whale?” I surrender to my inner knowing and my commitment to my calling. 

I feel what I feel and know what I know. 

This is the beauty of discipline. It gets me through so many small, seemingly trivial moments, like when I’m rushing around dealing with unexpected errands. But, more importantly, it helps me recognize my own pace of unfolding. 

Discipline leads to freedom, which leads to greater authenticity.

From that place of alignment, I’m always on the right path.