Photo by Miss_Emmeline.
When I was in college I used to run every morning before class. I'd wake up at an ungodly hour (for a college student), pull on my clothes, trek over to the gym, run, shower, and make it back to the dorms in time to have breakfast with my friends by 7am.
I look back on this now and wonder how the hell I ever had the discipline to do this. And I seem to recall that every morning, I just dreaded the idea of getting out of my nice warm bed. I hated getting up early, walking in the dark, cold hours of the morning to the gym. I hated the stretching. I even hated running the first couple of laps. But I kept doing it, because when I was finished, I felt amazing. I was strong, and powerful, and disciplined (for all the whining). And it didn't hurt that the endorphines had kicked in by then. So, for the rest of the day, I would be on a high. I would only begin to dread the running when my alarm would go off at 5:30 in the morning. As long as I could get through those first 30 minutes, I was good as gold.
I managed to keep doing this until I moved off of campus and away from the gymnasium. What I discovered about myself was that the easier I could make those more difficult tasks, the more likely I was to actually be disciplined enough to do them. It wasn't that I was more disciplined then than I am now - it's that it was easier to do it then than it is now. It cost me less than $5/month to be able to workout at a gym that was a block from my living space. These days, the cost and the distance is much greater.
The easier and more fun it is, the more likely you are to do it. This goes for everything, not just exercise.
Yes, but, how do you make it easy? You have to know how you work, and cater to your "limitations" in such a way that they won't hinder you.
For me, this means making sure I have all the tools/equipment I need to make x, y, or z at any given moment. It means having a designated space in which to create, and it means dedicating time to be in that space on a daily basis (even if I'm not creating while I'm there).
Challenge: Make it Easy for yourself
This is a bigger challenge than you might think, because there are always going to be things that hinder you: Space, money, time, priorities. What you have to realize is, those hinderances will always be there. You have to make YOU your priority - even if you have kids, even if you have a demanding job... ESPECIALLY if you have kids, or a demanding job -- remember we're trying to find balance.
Some ways to make it easier on yourself:
- Focus on what you want (the Positive), rather than the things keeping you from it (the Negative)
- Make a list - a wish list, or a set of goals that help you get to where you want to be. Pick one and start working toward it.
- Don't think, just do.
If you're at all like me, you have the tendency to think something to death & in all that time spent on thinking about it, you could've actually done it, or done something that gets you closer to the "it" you want to do.
Challenge: Designate a Space
Designate a space in which you can be creative on a daily basis. This can be your kitchen table, your garden, your sewing room (or the corner of the bedroom where you store your sewing machine). It can be your attic, your basement, an actual studio space that you've rented.... where ever it is - make sure that you spend time there every day. You don't have to be creative while you're there - but you do have to be open to the possibility of being creative while you're in that space.
Whatever space you choose, when you are there, BE THERE.
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