Motivation and Discipline

Motivation and Discipline

The cry of the New Ager’s; I don't feel motivated. I am not getting Guidance to ….. go on a diet, clean my car, exercise, etc. Have you gone too far out of balance with needing to "feel good" in order to get something done?  When you don't feel motivated to change your baby's diaper; do you leave him/her to soak in urine, of course not. Yet you will allow yourself to live in pounds of extra weight that makes you miserable (if it doesn't make you miserable, that is different), or in a pig sty home environment, or fail a class because you cannot apply yourself to homework you don’t like, etc. all because you are not "motivated" or "guided" to take any action. This is wounded yang energy. 

When working with the Self, or following Guidance, you can work from the inside out, and from the outside in, sometimes fluctuating between the two. Notice the word is working, not playing. Not everything is play. Giving birth is work. Sometimes loving someone becomes work when s/he is behaving badly. There is nothing wrong with work, there is nothing wrong with wanting to be motivated and there is nothing wrong with self-discipline and self-motivation and delayed gratification, it doesn’t all have to be feel good “Guidance.”. Life  is, as always, about balance.

Delayed gratification is the bane of all addicts.  Addiction is any out of balance compulsion. Addictions can be to talking too much, not talking enough, reading way too many books, refusing to read anything longer than a tweet, etc.  Delayed gratification in its most immature practice means you are willing to do something now, with the hope that it will be a benefit in the future. Faith is delayed gratification. So is acceptance and surrender.  When you practice faith, there is no guarantee of an instant miracle. When you accept your current life circumstances, it does not give you immediate relief.  In fact, when you meditate there can be no discernible shift in the moment and many people do not particularly "enjoy" meditation, especially when first starting out. Mature delayed gratification is taking action, or deciding to not take action (like not taking a drink of alcohol) with no “hope” or expectation of any outcome. It is self-discipline based on a bigger commitment to what is good in life, in your life, your beliefs, your integrity about your beliefs, your desire to walk your talk, walk your Path.  Mature delayed gratification means your behaviors and actions are based on following Guidance because that in and of itself makes your heart sing (no matter the reactions of others around you) and makes you feel amazing about yourself and your relationship to Spirit. End of story.

Do you really need a Spirit Guide to tell you that your body or environment is in bad shape? That is like praying for a parking space and not asking for Guidance in the big decisions in life. Do you really want to tell Spirit you are not willing to do any of your work in this life, unless it “feels good”?  This will affect how you get Guidance. If you are telling Spirit, “it has to feel good before I will do it” you are in effect not only setting a boundary with what Spirit can and cannot tell you, you are also leaving Spirit no other option than to create pain for you in order to “motivate” you to make changes. Is that what you want?

If there are “messes” in your life that you are avoiding, I can guarantee those are you current “classes” and if you are avoiding them that is comparable to avoiding a math class because you want to take creative writing. Meaning, Spirit is Guiding you, but you are saying “no” because “I would rather do…..” so much for following Guidance. Remember, Guidance is not always about doing something that makes you feel good. Read scripture, from any religion or spiritual practice and you will read stories of enormous self-discipline, and self-sacrifice. That is why scriptures are, in part written, not only to teach beliefs and practices, but also to illustrate how challenging and how difficult it can be, at times, to follow Guidance. If it was easy to be an awakened Spiritual Being, more of our world population would be on a conscious Spiritual Path. The reality is, it isn’t easy at times and that is why you need discipline, and faith, and delayed gratification in addition to “tuning in,” “feeling good,” and “go with the flow”. The latter is good for Guidance, but taking action to carry out what you were Guided to do often takes much more. This is why we see so many go to church (or yoga) and not do much else.

If you have a mess (or messes) in your life, and you lack the skills for self-discipline, use your resources to find help. Pray, but also use your wonderful left brain (we have a left brain for a reason) to find resources, study, apply, practice, and learn the skills you need to overcome your current challenges while continuing your Spiritual Practice and Guidance.  When asked or shown by Spirit, take action on Guidance, even if it uncomfortable. You created your mess, not Spirit. Trust Spirit to point you in the right direction to make positive changes.  Have the courage to employ self-discipline (when not motivated), to follow the Guidance given.   This is not easy, and at first often very confusing work. How do you balance between healthy self-discipline versus punishing yourself with self-discipline? Reading this, or Facebook, won’t do it. Learn skills and get support in your learning and application. Consider monthly work with Dr. Marie, or find a person or group (with skills not just New Age hype) to help you with your  “math class.”

Journey On
http://www.mariefeuer.org/