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How To Be Disciplined

Separating the good from the great, the almost from the achieved…

 

DISCIPLINE

 

We admire people we consider disciplined: athletes, soldiers, super heroes, martial artists, actors, and models. We may even think to ourselves, “If I could just be like them”.

 

Well let’s shed the light of truth here. To some degree we are like them. It’s not that they are necessarily smarter or more gifted but they tend to demonstrate the ability to be focused, determined, and strategic and all that requires discipline.

 

Successful people are disciplined people. Successful people not only make plans but also follow through with those plans. And discipline is the secret sauce that compels one to follow through.

 

Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.

~Jim Rohn

 

Webster’s defines DISCIPLINE as:

Training that corrects molds, or perfects the mental faculties or moral character; control gained by enforcing obedience or order; orderly or prescribed conduct or pattern of behavior; self-control.

 

An obsolete definition of discipline is instruction.

 

I am a disciplined person. There are times where I can allow fear to impede me from moving forward or following through but in general, everyday situations of life I am disciplined.

 

I am disciplined with my eating, time, money, relationships, and exercise. Even though discipline comes natural to me because of my personality type (A-Type, concrete, sequential, linear. But life has taught me to be flexible so I’m changing J), there are still plenty of times that I too have to WORK diligently at being disciplined.

 

One day my 11-year-old daughter and I were at a food buffet and I chose sautéed green beans and veggie sushi out of the plethora of fried, greasy, cheese, yummy options. She said, “Oh Mommy it’s just easy for you because you are so disciplined”. I told her, “Um…Not quite my dear. Actually I would love love love to have that mac and cheese but I CHOOSE to honor my temple instead.” I had to share with her that making that decision was not easy for me. The smells were intoxicating. In fact, there were several delicacies I wanted to get but I’d made my decision. And I walked away from that buffet feeling victorious that I had made a decision for my health, for my family and for our future.

 

Since discipline is what separates the rookies from the pros, how do we acquire it? Here are a few suggestions on how to be disciplined.

 

Keep Your Goal Before You

In being disciplined with my eating I keep my goals before me. One of my greatest reasons for choosing to eat right is to reverse my family medical history of illness and disease so that my children rewrite their DNA and with each successive generation we can eradicate certain diseases right out of our DNA. And each choice I make today contributes to or detracts from me reaching that goal so I keep that at the forefront of my mind at all times. There are times I fall short but I still aim for the target.

 

But I discipline my body and keep it under control,

lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

1 Corinthians 9:27

 

Positive Self-Talk

Think little train…”I think I can. I think I can.” The power of positive self-talk is transformative. Tell yourself who you are and what you CAN do. I can eat well. I can save money. I can bring my dream to fruition. God says speak those things that are not as though they were. And by His power and might, according to His will, they shall come to pass when you speak life.

 

Set Up Barriers

We all need guard rails. They are not there to hinder us but to protect us. Establishing systems and parameters keep us from straying. Budgets help keep our finances on track. Meal planning and preparation keeps our eating on track. The disciplined person always has an established set of boundaries. Even times for sleeping and waking, these all contribute to being disciplined.

 

Accountability

This is a huge piece missing from the puzzle of discipline. To whom do you report when you have not done what you said you would do? Will they hold you responsible for keeping your commitments? Will they dole out correction when necessary?

 

Keep Doing It

Discipline is not acquired after doing something three, four or five times. A successful pattern of behavior is established after doing it over and over and over. Because there will come a day when you really just don’t want to. Believe me, been there done that and have the blog post to show for it. You can read it by

CLICKING HERE. Practice may not always make perfect but practice, practice. practice will get you to your destination, imperfect and all.

 

Discipline is a thing that doesn’t always feel good at the moment. But fortunately we are not a people who allow our feelings to dictate our actions. We make decisions based on principles not on feelings so we discipline ourselves to choose well even when it hurts.

 

For the moment all discipline seems painful

rather than pleasant, but later it yields the

peaceful fruit of righteousness to those

who have been trained by it.

Hebrews 11:12

 

Think about a person you admire for their discipline. In what area(s) are they disciplined? Where do you think they got the will power to be so disciplined? What separates you from having that same level or even greater discipline?

 

You have it too. Just dig deep into THAT place. Commit to following some of the steps above for acquiring discipline. I’m here in your corner cheering you on. I know you can do it. And I don’t want to hear, “Oh Tyra, that’s good for you but I just can’t, ” Uh-un I don’t want to hear that. I can’t isn’t permitted here. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.

 

Let me know how I can pray for you.

 

As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!
Happy to connect with these friends sharing the Good News #DanceWithJesus, Grace & Truth, WordsWithWinter

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I Choose To Be Healthy

I haven’t always honored my temple.

 

I haven’t always known how.

 

When I look at pictures of myself from my thicker days, I thought I was doing some things right then. But I was young and didn’t have all the answers. I didn’t understand that though my frozen dinners were low in fat, they were high in sugar and sodium. I didn’t know that drowning my salad in blue cheese dressing undid all of what I thought I was accomplishing in eating the big plate of leafy greens.

 

Tyra in college

 

When I did learn how to honor my temple, I didn’t always obey. But I have to ask myself, “Do you want to be in health and prosper even as your soul prospers?” We have to decide. I choose to be healthy.

 

Even now, some days are difficult. Just recently I engaged in the battle of the bulge. You can read more about that here. I’m happy to say I waged an all out assault and have since claimed rounds 1 & 2 victorious! I’ve been even more disciplined in my exercise regime, I try to get adequate rest, though I think a new bed would greatly help in that area and my eating habits are good.

 

I would say my diet is very clean. That means I consume food that is minimally processed and most closely resembles its natural state. But even in that, I knew I could clean it up even more. So for those of us who already eat clean and for those who want to do better, here’s how I’ve raised the bar for myself in the past few weeks:

 

~Cut Back Sugar

On average, Americans consume about 20 teaspoons of added sugar a day. I probably consumed on average 4-6 teaspoons a day. It lurks in nearly everything. Even in a clean diet it can add up. Even if my healthy friends aren’t consuming refined sugar, several teaspoons a day of maple syrup, agave, honey, coconut palm sugar, Stevia, fill in the blank…add up. So see if there are ways to cut back. I used to have 2 teaspoons in the morning in my coffee. Then I cut that back to 1. Then I cut my coffee. Jesus is still helping me with that transition. You can read more about cutting coffee here. I also cut my “natural” treats like coconut milk ice cream, again the sugar.

 

~Cut Carbs

I am not waging a war against carbs. But really, do I need to eat pasta more than once a week, even if it is whole-wheat pasta? Do I need to eat a grain with every meal? I’m constantly challenging myself to rethink the plate. We’ve come to know the plate as large section of meat, medium sized portion of starch and small portion of vegetables (read more on that here). So lately I’ve been swapping out my pasta with zucchini noodles, cutting the amount of rice (even though it’s brown rice) and having no baked goods (bread, muffins {even though the muffins would be homemade using all natural ingredients}, cookies).

 

 

~Cut The Salty Snacks

Oh dear, I really love and miss tortilla chips. I could easily have tortilla chips 1-3 times a week. A moderate serving size coupled with my favorite hummus. I had rationalized, “I’m eating healthy here Lord, cut me some slack. It’s just organic blue corn tortilla chips and homemade hummus.” And while those snacks are much healthier than Lay’s potato chips, tortilla chips are still fried. And hummus while it is healthy is high in calories for a small serving. So again, it’s obeying God and knowing where I can cut back a little. I’m not saying I won’t eat them again, I’m just cutting back for a while as I temper my actions and taste buds with self-discipline and self-control (I also had to comfortably get back in my jeans). Even raw nuts, which are one of my go to healthy snacks have to be consumed in moderation because they are high in fat (albeit good fats but still high) and they are acidic. And really, who can eat just one serving of nuts? One serving of almond is just 14 almonds! Man, I can eat 3x that easily.

 

I keep this statement before me as a caution in helping me decide to choose well.

 

What will I do today to add to not detract from my health?

 

So throughout the day, when I am presented with CHOICE, I ask myself…

 

~Will eating a croissant add to or detract from my health?

 

~Will this cup of coffee add to or detract from my health?

 

~Will this kale salad add to or detract from my health?

 

~I’m sleepy but will this exercise add to or detract from my health?

 

There is no food Swiss neutral. What you consume either promotes or negates good health.

 

While this may be radical for some, for me it’s just obeying what God has called ME to do. I am not only responsible for my health, but I have to provide nourishment for my husband and my five children. The decisions I make today, will directly affect my children’s DNA thus directly affecting their children to come. I have to be an example for the women I serve in ministry. I need to be strong and healthy in my body to carry out all that God has tasked to my hands. I do not want to defile my body but want His light to radiate uninhibited from this temple so that it draws others near to Him and the decisions I make throughout the day directly impact that. Sometimes it is hard. Sometimes I fail.  But I will try.

 

What is God whispering to you about what you can do to honor Him by honoring your temple?

 

So again I ask, not what can you do, but what WILL you do to add to not detract from your health today?

 

I choose to be healthy. And you can too. Discipline, self-control and obedience pay off.   I am still a work in progress but I feel strong and capable to run with endurance the race set before me.

before and after

Tyra Lane-Kingsland

 

As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!

Feature Image Photo Credit
Happy to connect with friends at Dance With Jesus & Fellowship Friday

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Choose Well

They were calling out to me. In all their hot, oily, salty splendor, those spuds hollered my name. Such was the case when I walked past that Five Guys Burgers and Fries joint. Yield not to temptation. Score one for team healthy!

 

I was chatting with some ladies in my Women’s Group and one asked how I stay so disciplined when it comes to my eating. As I described to her what I do when faced with a food choice, she summed it up quite well. She said, “So you do a lot of self-talk”. And that’s correct.

 

Honoring your temple is a choice. And when faced with options, I constantly have to weigh and choose.

 

But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15

 

Because my body is the temple where the Holy Spirit resides, I have to choose to honor my temple. And choosing well is not always easy. I’ve shared previously how I’ve devised a system that supports honoring my temple through proper nourishment. You can read more about how I choose well with:

Eating Right on the go

Getting Kids to Eat Right

 

I like to keep it interesting in the kitchen so I’m always concocting something that tantalizes the taste buds. But on the real, truth be told I love a few foods that do the opposite of honoring the temple. I LOVE coffee, pizza, macaroni and cheese and two of my absolute favorites are tiramisu and The Cheesecake Factory’s Banana Cream Cheesecake. One slice of that cheesecake has a whopping 930 calories, 36 grams of fat and 60 grams of sugar.

 

Precious Lord, take my hand, lead me on, on away from that cheesecake!

 

When I walk into my local Wegman’s grocery store to pick up a few items and haven’t eaten lunch yet, my eyes spot the mac and cheese. One whole hot bar station is full with different types of mac and cheese: traditional, blue cheese, chicken mac and cheese and more. Can I also mention here that the bakery is right near the hot food bar replete with pastries, cakes and cookies? The struggle is real folks! Nonetheless, I begin a dialogue with myself. It sounds a little something like this:

 

~Mmm that mac and cheese smells so good

 

~Don’t even look in that direction

 

~Hot cheesy melty goodness

 

~Seek out the vegetables

 

~A little won’t hurt

 

~Honor your temple and choose well

 

~Ch-a (that’s me sucking my teeth)

 

~Brown Rice veggie sushi roll w/ small side of Sichuan green beans

 

~You’ve chosen well daughter.

 

I’m sure you are confronted with similar choices every day all day. From the moment you wake up you have to decide, will you have:

 

~McDonald’s Medium McCafe Carmel Mocha 390 calories 14 grams of fat and 50 grams of sugar. That one drink has your recommended sugar intake for 2 days!

 

~McDonald’s Bacon Egg and Cheese Bagel with egg whites because hey, you’re trying to save on some grams of cholesterol by choosing well with the egg whites yet it has 530 calories, one fourth of your total caloric intake for the day, 23 grams of fat, more than one-third of your daily value of fat and 1340 mg of sodium, more than half of your recommended value of salt for the day.

 

So with those two breakfast choices, one’s health account is overdrawn and checks are bouncing.

 

While you may not know or have readily available these nutritional facts before you consume food (though it is posted in McDonald’s) you should ask yourself, “Is this contributing to or detracting from my health?”

McDonald's Choices

And I’m sharing here not to point fingers or to make you feel bad. I’m sharing because I know from my personal experiences that it IS difficult to choose well. I do have one area where I am NOT so disciplined and that is with popcorn. See I had rationalized it was healthy so I could indulge but that indulgence went too far and I had to really examine myself. You can read more about that here. But I’m happy to report; I’m getting that under control. I will not be a slave to my urges. Yes, by the power of the Spirit at work in me I am a spirit-controlled self-disciplined individual.

 

A spirit-controlled individual is self-disciplined. As Believers we can discipline ourselves to attend worship service regularly, to serve regularly, to dial in to prayer calls regularly, to have daily quiet time, but when it comes to eating right and exercise…well, it can be challenging.

 

I know it’s difficult. But I also know that we can do ALL things through Christ who gives us strength. Just like He strengthens me at this very moment to not go downstairs and get something sweet. I used to like to have a sweet little bite before going to bed but I had to end my attachment with that. Eating before bed interrupts your ability to fast overnight. That’s why the first meal of the day is called Breakfast because you are breaking your overnight fast. Eating before sleeping can cause insomnia, restless sleep, weight gain, and heartburn among other issues. I have eaten before bed and literally awoke feeling like I had a hangover. And I thought to myself, “Did that food ferment in my stomach?” I’m no doctor but that was my immediate thought.

 

So be empowered friends to choose well.

 

“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!” Deuteronomy 30:19

 

Having the right information is just one step in helping you make better choices. When it comes to what you eat, some decisions may be clearly apparent, while others may be murky. To assist you when making better choices at the grocery store and at restaurants there is a fun quick read called Eat This Not That.

 

Coupled with the right information is then exercising our will and making the right choices. Will we choose to add to or to detract from our health? Every food decision we make is either a deposit or a withdrawal. There is no food shade of gray, just black or white, an investment or a loss, an advancement of health or a reversal.

 

“Every person has free choice. Free to obey or disobey the Natural Laws. Your choice determines the consequences. Nobody ever did, or ever will, escape the consequences of his choices.” Alfred A. Montepert

 

I stand here, cheering you on as you choose well!

 

As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired to Live Fully!

 

Feature Image Photo Credit

Happy to connect with Dance With Jesus Fellowship Friday Grace and Truth

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The Battle Of The Bulge

One leg in, next leg in. Pull up. Bring the two sides together east to west to button my pants…and…this can’t be?!

 

I can hardly button my pants!

 

Oh no. How did this happen?

 

When did this happen?

 

I was crushed. I guess I hadn’t noticed it before because I was wearing pants with a little give or a poly/cotton blends. But these slacks had no give so it was an accurate assessment. Either my pants have gotten smaller or I have gotten bigger and I’m sure it’s not the former.

The entire day I was beside myself. I couldn’t shake it. Even now it’s difficult to write but I’m sharing with you so that you might be encouraged if you have ever fought the battle of the bulge.

 

ME & Weight

The ladies on my mother’s side of the family are THICK. As a child, I was average size. As a teen, I was shapely, still pretty much average size. Then during my freshman year of college I gained double the freshman 15. Poor eating habits coupled with the grief of losing my mother found me at the bottom of a pint of Ben & Jerry’s Wavy Gravy often. And I carried that weight around until my mid-twenties. You can ready more about managing weight here.

 

For the last 12 years I’ve been pregnant every other year. Actually last year finally broke that record of not adding a new baby to our home. So for the first time in forever, without the influx of pregnancy I have to manage my weight over a long stretch. Because I have been heavy before (the mid-twenties me) I am fearful of getting big again. I try to focus my attention on eating right and exercising and less on weight. But now with the whole pants debacle…

 

Size

I rarely get on a scale. Only when I go to my primary care doctor and they insist. I just use how my clothes fit as the gauge of my size. Well that encounter with that pair of jeans last week has revealed the size is shifting.

 

So I asked myself, how did this happen?

 

I am so committed to eating clean, honoring my temple and being disciplined. I usually do some type of workout every other day (though I don’t always push myself as far as I know I could). But really, gaining weight? Come on Lord help me out here. What more can I do? I actually had an attitude with the Lord because I feel like I’m trying to do everything right as related to my health and this is my reward?

 

Then the Lord answered. You see, He has a tailor made diet for each of us but we have to be OBEDIENT to His voice. I was disobedient. I lacked self-control.

 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23

 

Oh dear, when it comes to my favorite food, I have to admit I have no self-control. With food I am an otherwise disciplined, self-controlled person, but put a bowl of popcorn in front of me and I will demolish the whole thing. Yup, you read it right; popcorn is my all time favorite food. Not my favorite snack, but my favorite food. And I am disciplined enough to measure out just a single serving. But then I’ll come back for another and another.

 

The Lord was gently whispering to me, “Moderation”. But the popcorn was so good I lacked moderation. Now I love popcorn any way you serve it and I make a mean batch at home popped in coconut oil with my special blend of spices. But I found this organic white cheddar popped in coconut oil at Costco and from then on my friends it was a wrap. For a month straight I ate this popcorn nearly every day and now I’m paying for it. I knew it had gotten bad when I went to Costco JUST to buy a single bag of popcorn.

 

Just an aside, on Monday I talked about uncovering guilt, shame and regret so that we can be healed, you can click here to read more of that but I’m so happy right now to disclose this issue of the popcorn with you because revealing it is part of my healing. I am moving forward and will not harbor guilt for my gluttony.

 

While my issue is just with popcorn, my lack of self-control with it is major. One of the three pillars of my mission is to honor the temple. What an embarrassment for me to have fallen in this area when I am supposed to be encouraging you and setting an example. But I can give full disclosure because we are in this race together and I want you to keep pressing toward the mark for the prize.  There may be days when we stumble but I want you to get back up and try again because this isn’t just about food, it’s about our walk with God.

 

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air.  But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

 

I do not wish to disqualify myself from the call God has given based on my lack of self-control so I bring my body under the subjection of Christ and will heed His voice.

 

He’s also whispering to me about my daily cup of coffee. One thing at a time Lord, baby steps please.

 

If you’ve ever been in the battle of the bulge, you know this is not an easy fight. You must remain committed and stay the course. Your future and the future of your family are hinging on it. YOU are worth it.

 

P.S. I went to Costco yesterday and in shopping my routine aisles, there it was staring at me, my beloved popcorn. Glory to God for self-control because I left there without purchasing any.

 

“The one quality which sets one man apart from another-

the key which lifts one to every aspiration

while others are caught up in the mire of mediocrity-

is not talent, formal education, nor intellectual brightness –

it is self-discipline. With self-discipline all things are possible. 

Without it, even the simplest goal can seem like the impossible dream. “

-Theodore Roosevelt 

 

As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!

 

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