The one thing that I remember from college is a line that my thermo professor proclaimed to all of his students on the first day of class. He said in a loud heavily accented voice “motion is the lotion of the mind.” I’m not sure if it was his delivery that struck me or just the sing song-ish timbre of his voice but for some reason I can hear the line exactly how he said it still ring through my ears.
When I turned 30 this year something in me changed a little bit. I started to feel a greater sense of urgency in my work and a some disappointment with my current position. I am not in a bad position but I haven’t really taken advantage of the skills that I have been given or the opportunities available to me. I have squandered some of my opportunities because I haven’t been disciplined enough or consistent enough to improve really become excellent or just reach higher potential.
I knew what I needed to do but I just wasn’t doing it. I had the tools and the knowledge but instead I was sitting around watching youtube videos on my phone and wasting my time. So I decided to stop wasting so much time. I just decided to start being better. Not everyday is perfect but my life now has enough consistency that I can change how I operate. It has been incremental change. I started meditating more, then I started journaling more, then I started making more daily to do lists and then I started to really increase my workouts.
Workouts are a great measure of discipline because normally you don’t really feel like doing it. But if you just start you usually finish and when you are done you feel so much better. Your mind plays tricks on you it pushes you to stay in whatever state you are currently in even if with a little expenditure of energy it could feel much better. Discipline is about focusing on long term goals and staying true to them. Not listen to any short terms signals or discouraging lack of progress and just focusing on long term consistency.
Today I went through the motions of discipline but I didn’t really feel it. I failed to do some of the items on my list and some of the items that I did were half hearted at best. The biggest thing that I missed was cardio or a hard lift and as a result my mind felt restless all afternoon and evening. I feel jittery and kind of anxious and just disappointed in myself.
Tomorrow is a new day and I’m going to get up and find the motion to get the lotion that I need for my brain. Thank you Mabub.