How Freedom and Discipline Work Together (My Words of the Year)

What comes to mind when you think of someone who is free? What do they act like? What's their body language? Do they look a certain way?

Now, think about someone who is disciplined. Ask yourself the same questions about that person. Got your answers? Good!

When I think of someone who is free, my natural inclination is to think of a thin, tan woman in her 20s. I see her running on a beach with her hair flowing behind her- not a care in the world.

And when I think of someone who is disciplined, I think of a go-getter. I think of someone who hustles hard. They follow a lot of guidelines, and maybe don't have quite as much fun, but they accomplish what they set out to do.

But my first thoughts about these two types of people are not completely accurate. And not only that- they are not rooted where they should be.

Real Freedom

Interestingly enough, my view of a free person seems to come straight out of Hollywood. This tan, thin, beach-beauty is partially free because of what she looks like, and that's just not the point of freedom at all.

As many of you know, my goals for the year include losing weight. So yes, I would love to be thin. And since I love the beach it totally makes sense that I would want to be tan and on a beach- because let's be real... when do I not want that?!

But real freedom has nothing to do with being thin, the pigment of my skin, or my location. It doesn't even mean that I won't have a care in the world.

Real freedom is rooted in Christ. It's knowing my final destination (Heaven), it's knowing the grace and love God has given me, and it is caring about the right things- the eternal things. It means caring about people in the way that God has cared for us and it's about sharing truth and being the hands and feet of Jesus.
It's not about what others think of us. It isn't about what we look like, how long it takes to get married, whether or not we get married at all, or how many kids we have. It isn't about our jobs or how much money we make. Freedom isn't something we find when we work from home, when we get out of debt, or when we get away from those who hold us back. Those things are certainly helpful in our freedom journey, but they are not what makes us truly free.

Real freedom is knowing God's love, loving him back, and making the most out of the life we have right now. It is finally being able to lay all worry, fear, anxiety, sin, and strong-holds at the feet of Jesus. It is trusting God and resting in him. Real freedom is enjoying and making the most of the life we are in, for the glory of God.

Real Discipline

Discipline is all about standing firm in what we have set out to do. It's about being unwavering in what we know we should do, in what we know is right, and in what we have been called to do.

Discipline is sticking with what we started, and living life well. It is about being a faithful, reliable person- not just to others, but also to ourselves.

A disciplined person lives as if the reward is worth the wait, and lives out the steps it takes to get there. A disciplined person sees the value in waiting, the value in doing what is right. And they hold that value above whatever instant gratification they may or may not be able to reap.

Discipline is following rules or guidelines that we know are good for us, because we want the best possible life.

How Discipline and Freedom Work Together

Sometimes in my mind, freedom and discipline are at odds with each other. I know better, really, but I find that freedom always seems so much more appealing than discipline.

But in a lot of ways, it takes discipline to become free. Freedom is ultimately of Christ, yet living a life a freedom means taking steps to improve the way in which we live. And taking steps towards improvement requires discipline.

Here are a few examples of how discipline can lead to freedom. Not all of these are personal, I just wanted to give you something tangible to help.

Example 1

If I want freedom from my incessant addiction to food, then I have to discipline myself and keep myself from eating constantly. I am not trying to find freedom through losing weight, but rather, I am trying to be free from an obsession- an addiction. This requires discipline and leads to freedom.

Example 2

If I want to stop lying, I have to discipline myself to always tell the truth and come clean if I haven't. This forces me to be accountable and helps stop the cycle. I am not finding freedom in one single act, but freedom from an act that changes me as a person. Being disciplined will lead to freedom from compulsive lying.

Example 3

If I want to rest in the love of Jesus, I have to stop trying to find it in other places. I have to discipline myself to stop seeking the approval of others, stop putting so much value in "things" and "possessions" and actually start believing that God's love for me is far beyond anything else in life. It requires that I stop seeking compliments for everything good I do, that I stop seeking love from anyone and everyone who will give it, and that I stop compromising who I am for other people.
This takes discipline, but leads to freedom.

Freedom and discipline are good friends. They pair up perfectly to help us achieve what we have set out to do. Discipline is the catalyst that bring us into a place of true freedom. Discipline doesn't always have to be synonymous with "hustle". You can discipline yourself to be at peace, to enjoy life, and to rest in Christ. Discipline is simply doing what you know you need to do and what you know is best, in order to become who you are meant to be in life- which leads to freedom.

Before I decided that these two words would be my words of the year, I had not really thought through how these two concepts work together, but I am glad that I did. There are so many things in my life that I want to be free from, and discipline is the way to that freedom in almost every case.

And something tells me you can relate. Why? Because a search for freedom is part of being human. We may have never put it into words, but we all crave it. So maybe this year, we can work together to discipline ourselves in order to find freedom. What do you say?

My (Other) Word of the Year: Disciplined

I'm feeling a little overly-ambitious. I mean, really... Last year I didn't have a word of the year- I had never really even heard of that concept. But this year, I have two words of the year.

In case you missed it, in my last post I talked about my first word of the year: free. You definitely need to check that out too.

But my second word is a little different. In fact, some would probably say that my two words are opposed to each other. And in some ways, those people would be correct. In other ways, however, they are oh-so-very-wrong. But we will get into that in another post.

If you've followed along with me for a while, you know that I have a major issue with self-discipline. I have had the same goals year-after-year, only to fall short because I lacked the discipline to succeed. 

And honestly, being unable to achieve goals and dreams, staying stagnant and in the same place, is one of the most sad and pathetic things in life. I may not be pathetic as a person, but my inability to grow and move forward as I should be is pathetic.

It's sad because it holds me back from my full potential, causes me to feel hopeless and unable to accomplish goals, and in-turn, it makes me frustrated about my circumstances. 

Overcoming Through Discipline

I know many people struggle with self-discipline. We live in a world of instant gratification, which causes us to feel that hard work is only worth it if we see quick, easy results. And if we don't, we quit. 

But if we want awesome lives- lives that we are genuinely proud of- then we have to push through, make changes, and overcome. Sure, we have to make up our minds to make those changes and we have to work extremely hard at our self-discipline, but we can do it.

I want to be disciplined in the following areas:

• Financially- I want to only shop when I need something and to stop spending so much money on fast food. Chick-fil-A cravings cannot rule me.
• Physically- I want to take care of my body through my eating habits (again, calm down, Chick-fil-A cravings!) and through exercise. 
• Spiritually- There are so many things that I want to grow in spiritually, but they all start with knowing, loving, and trusting God more. I need to improve my prayer life and amount of time reading the Bible in order to accomplish any of my other spiritual goals.
• Blogging- I want to do the things that scare me and the things that I am not as good at, so that I can grow my blog far beyond where it is now. I love what my blog has become, but I want to keep learning, growing, and expanding.

Every single one of these areas can be improved upon and "conquered", but only if I practice self-discipline. And the same is true for you!

You can accomplish your dreams, goals, and resolutions, but you have to be disciplined. Dreams without discipline are just wishful thinking.

So there you have it: my second word of the year. This is going to be a huge undertaking for me. I know I will have to fight constantly to stay disciplined, and I know that I will need a whole lot of support. But I also know that I can do it, so it's definitely worth the work!

4 Ways a Lack of Organization Can Hinder Our Lives

Being organized is crucial for creating a well-lived life, but a lack of organization can hinder our lives in many ways. Learn how being unorganized can keep you from reaching your dreams and hinder your life. 

I can't seem to help it no matter how hard I try. I am not an organized person. I buy a planner every year, with full intention of using it well. I write down a budget that I want to follow, and I even write down my plans for losing weight.

I start out pretty organized, but something always happens. Somehow, my good intentions of staying organized turn into disarray and disorganization.

Disorganization, in my experience, comes down to a lack of discipline. Not only does it take discipline to complete the tasks set before us, but it also takes discipline to be organized enough to know which tasks you even need to accomplish for the day.

When we are undisciplined, we usually lack organization. And when we lack organization, we often find ourselves failing at things we desperately want to succeed at.

A Lack of Organization Makes Us Forgetful

Being disorganized usually causes us to be forgetful, since we have not taken the time to map out all that we need to do. Unfortunately, I am already pretty forgetful, so being disorganized completely does me in. If I have 6 things to do in a day and I don't write those things down, chances are I will only remember to to 2 of those tasks.

I know other people are forgetful too. We live in a world that stays so busy that it's not surprising that we can't keep up with it all. But organization can help us immensely. Disorganization is bound to continue the pattern of forgetfulness.

Being Unorganized Keeps Us From Getting As Much Done

Even if there are times when we aren't forgetful about things, a lack of organization still makes our process much slower. If we are organized and know where everything we need is located, our tasks are going to move along much more quickly than they would if we couldn't find anything. Having to take time out of an already busy day to search for things we need is miserable and counter-productive.

Disorganization Makes Us Stressed

When we can't remember all we have to do, or we cannot find what we need, we will inevitably become stressed out- there's just no way around it!
There are times that I have everything written down in my planner, my lunch is packed for the next day, and my clothes are laid out and ready for the coming morning. These days almost always start smoothly and there is little stress involved. Why? Because I was organized. Instead of waiting until the last minute to do everything, I got my act together and prepared for what was in my near-future.

A Lack of Organization Hinders Our Dreams

Lastly, and maybe most importantly, a lack of organization hinders our biggest dreams and goals. I know this to be true for my blog, as well as other areas of my life. When I am scrambling around, trying to remember what I need to do today, or who I was planning on emailing, or which post I am going to write next, I absolutely fail. I get behind, my stats go down, my confidence goes down, and I find myself playing catch-up when I could have been ahead.

Regardless of what your dreams are, disorganization will do the same to you. It will hinder you, discourage you, and keep you five steps behind where you had hoped to be.

So what do you say we try to correct these bad habits? Why not decide to reject disorganization so it can no longer hinder us?
I am committing to writing in my planner this month and actually checking off tasks. I am also committing to laying out my clothes and packing my lunch the night before I work to reduce stress. They say it takes 30 days to make something a habit, so lets take the next 30 days to form some good ones!

Want to know more about organization and making life more manageable? Check out these posts!

5 Ways to Organize your Way to a Better Day by Little Sprouts Learning

Organize Your Way to Less Food Waste by Ever Change Productions