The origin of Daily Discipline began on an early morning in 2017. I was in my reading chair with a hot cup of coffee at 6am writing thoughts and notes to myself as I typically do. I reached the end of a notepad and flipped back to the beginning to read through what I had written in it.
As I read my own notes, I found myself learning from my past writing. It felt like wisdom I was sharing with myself. Wisdom I needed. Then I looked over on my bookshelf and saw 25 more notepads filled front to back. I saw a dozen journals too, each completely filled. I was struck by the obvious fact that I was the only one reading these thoughts.
It occurred to me that if I was gaining value from reading the messages I’d written, someone else might gain value too. Daily Discipline was born in that moment. I decided that I would share my private notes to myself with the world. Anyone who wanted to read them was welcome.
So I started writing these emails from my personal notes on January 1, 2018.
Today I’d like to be vulnerable and share a note I wrote to myself about six months ago when it became obvious I was about to take on a major transition. Here’s what I told myself:
“Seek not my own salvation, but my own purpose. Do not go looking for a way that I will be protected or preserved. Look for ways in which I will contribute and bring value to this world and the people who experience me.
A worthy life is one that prioritizes what I give over what I get, what I practice over what I proclaim, how I treat people over what I believe, value I provide over opinions I hold, integrity of my character over acceptance of my standards, purpose over popularity, empathy over judgment, human impact over self-righteousness, and how I think about and treat people over whatever beliefs I hold about the world.”
This note was meaningful to me then and is meaningful to me now. Hopefully parts of it can bring some awareness, clarity, or confidence to some of you too.
Answer the call. Do the work.
Share your thoughts