Discipline Week 2

“Everything we want to do in life requires discipline. And like strength, flexibility, and endurance, it can be built up over time.”

— Laird Hamilton

Laird Hamilton is an athlete who challenges his body in ways that others would not ever dream of. Hamilton has ridden many of the tallest, heaviest, fastest and longest waves ever conquered by a human being. He’s one of the greatest big-wave surfers of all time, if not the greatest. Hamilton is a role model for discipline and a no quit attitude. He gets out on the ocean daily, to practice and for the joy of it, part of his discipline. He also believes that meditation can be practiced in movement. Think about it, if you are on a wave that is 30 feet tall, you best be paying attention, focused, and present.

So, what can we learn from this surfing icon, besides that things that seem impossible can be conquered? He didn’t start out on a 30-foot wave, he started out as a young child playing in the waves. He just kept at it, practicing daily, believing he could get better, finding peace and happiness in the movement and the obstacle.  That is the true message. Discipline begins one day at a time, not expecting a huge result, but giving ourselves credit for the small steps to consistency. Enjoying the process, the practice, giving ourselves that pat on the back of, you did it. Because really who is the art of developing discipline for? Yourself.

Pick one thing to be consistent with this week, a two-minute meditation, a breathing practice, a stretch break, a ten-minute walk, journal writing. Only you know what you need daily. Start today.