Tag Archives: personal growth

How Daily Discipline Can Set Your Summer Months Free

Inspiration from the iGnite Archives

iGnite Journal - May29_2016

Point to Ponder:
Where can you exercise daily discipline so you can find greater enjoyment in your summer months?

by Amy Younkman

When I first read the quote above several years ago it struck me – I had always thought of discipline as willful containment, or reigning in, whereas freedom represented wide-open, “the sky’s the limit” possibilities. As I pondered this quote and it begin to sink in, I realized it was absolutely spot on.

Within freedom lies the ability for new discoveries and transformation. However, if freedom is not balanced with the right amount of self-discipline, there is no internal container or self-regulation process in place. We have to learn about limitations through self discipline in order to learn about (and earn) the truth about freedom. Discipline requires an intentional commitment to connect with what’s important to us. Over time, practicing daily disciplines, or acts of diligence, earns us our freedom.

For me, the discipline of meeting a best friend at 6 AM to run around the lake 2 – 3 times a week for over 20 years has certainly brought more energy, passion, peace and contentment to my days and to my life, much like an iGnite workout with friends. Every Monday, I discipline myself to do laundry (ugh!), plan dinners for the week, and spend time on my yoga mat listening to my inner advisor and preparing my yoga classes for the week. When I do these things, my family life runs smoother for the week and I enthusiastically look forward to my yoga and Pilates classes with renewed inspiration. No one can give me personal freedom; I have to earn it for myself.

While I love the looser schedules, less structure and vacation days of summer, I also realize I can’t truly enjoy “lazy days of summer” without my personal disciplines in place. In summer I loosen up on some of them, allowing more time for spontaneity and creative escapes. I find if I rise early to workout, get to bed at a reasonable hour, eat and drink in moderation and keep healthy food on hand, I am more apt to be a vital, happy and healthy person laying fertile ground for personal growth and freedom to take root.

As we enter into our summer season, I hope you will join me in creating a loose and less structured summer, while continuing to practice daily disciplines and acts of diligence as this will earn us freedom, health, happiness and even more fun.

Action Item:
Enjoy the loose and less structured summer days, however continue to practice daily disciplines and acts of diligence as this will earn you freedom, health, happiness and fun.

There are 2 Kinds of People…

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Never Stop Growing

by Kathleen Parker

I just had to share this quote because I think it is great for EVERYONE:

There are two kinds of people…One kind, you can tell just by looking at them at what point they congealed into their final selves. It might be a very nice final self, but you can expect no more surprises from it. Whereas, the other kind KEEPS MOVING, CHANGING. With these people, you can never say, “X stops here,” or “Now I know all there is to know about Y.” That does not mean they are unstable. Ah no, far from it. They are FLUID. They KEEP MOVING FORWARD AND MAKING NEW TRYSTS WITH LIFE, AND THE MOTION OF IT KEEPS THEM YOUNG. In my opinion, THEY ARE THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO ARE STILL ALIVE.
– The Finishing School by Gail Godwin

I love this and think we can all apply it to our lives! Keep moving and growing like a weed you can’t kill!

RELATED POSTS:

Are You Growing? Personal Growth & Spiritual Life

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Be not afraid of growing slowly; be afraid only of standing still.
-Chinese Proverb

By Neissa Springmann

I’ll be the first to admit that all growth is painful! I talk and talk about the importance of continual growth and I even pray that God will stretch me so I will grow, but the truth is that I really wish growth were free of discomfort. However, with every passing day I realize that without trials, setbacks and even perceived failures, life would be very boring and like the Chinese Proverb quote, we’d be standing still and that would be bad!

Below are 5 ingredients and tips that will send you on your way to continual growth and a spirit-filled life.

Here’s to the continual journey of growing into our best selves! ~Neissa

Five Ingredients of Personal Growth

Did You Know…
…that the growth of a crop only happens when the right ingredients are present. To harvest plentiful fields, the farmer has to begin by planting the right seed in rich topsoil where sunlight and water can help the seed to sprout, mature, and bear fruit. If any of the ingredients (seeds, topsoil, sunlight, or water) are missing, the crop won’t grow. Personal Growth also requires the proper ingredients. Unless the right attitudes and actions are cultivated, we will sputter and fail rather than growing in influence.

How can I apply this to my life?

Be Teachable- Ego crowds out room for improvement. That’s why humility is the starting point for personal growth. Adopting a beginner’s mindset helps you to be teachable. Beginners are aware that they don’t know it all, and they proceed accordingly. As a general rule, they’re open and humble, noticeably lacking in the rigidity that often accompanies experience and achievement. It’s easy enough to have a beginner’s mind when you’re actually a beginner, but maintaining teachability gets trickier in the long term when you’ve already achieved some degree of success. As Erwin G. Hall said…

An open mind is the beginning of self-discovery and growth. We can’t learn anything new until we can admit that we don’t already know everything.

Practice Sacrifice – Growth involves temporary loss. It may mean giving up familiar but limiting patterns, safe but unrewarding work, values no longer believed in, or relationships that have lost their meaning. Whatever the case, everything we gain in life comes as a result of sacrificing something else. We must give up to go up.

Amy’s Yoga class at Texas Rowing Center- stretching and strengthening minds, bodies and spirits

Release Security- To keep learning throughout life, you have to be willing to say “I don’t know,” no matter what your position is. It can be hard for anyone to admit lacking knowledge because they feel as if everyone is looking to them for direction, and no one likes letting others down. However, we must remember that followers are not searching for perfection in their leaders. Instead they’re looking for an honest, authentic, and courageous leader, who, regardless of the obstacles facing the organization, refuses to rest until the problem is solved.

Begin Listening – Listen, learn, and ask questions from somebody successful who has gone on before you. Borrow from their experiences so that you can avoid their mistakes and emulate their triumphs. Solicit feedback and take to heart what you’re told. The criticism of friends may seem bitter in the short-term, but when heeded, it can save you from falling victim to your blind spots.

Apply your Lessons Learned -Knowledge has a limited shelf life. Unless it is used immediately or carefully preserved, knowledge spoils and becomes worthless. We must remember to put the lessons we learn into practice so that our insights mature into understanding.

Improve your Spiritual Life

Did You Know…
…that spiritual growth is of great importance for everyone, not only for “religious people” but for everyone! Spiritual growth is the basis for a better life for everyone, a life free of tension, fear and anxiety.

How can I apply this to my life?

Read spiritual and uplifting books. Here’s a list of some of our favorites
Pray or meditate everyday. Click here for iGnite’s yoga class schedule!
Thank God daily for your blessings.
Keep a gratitude journal
Serve and pray for others

Determine 3 different things (be specific!) you would like to do and/or accomplish by the end of 2013 and write them down on the iGnite-provided goals card provided above. Join us on our journey of setting goals!