Today I am thankful for self discipline. I think that we all have moments when we know that we should do something – it is in our best interest, it is a requirement, it is something that we have agreed to do, etc. – and we do not feel like doing it for whatever reason. Maybe we are fatigued, burnt out, bored, have lost interest in whatever the task is, or maybe we just want to do something else, even if that something else is actually nothing. For some reason we just do not feel like doing whatever it was that we committed ourselves to do.
Now, I want to make it a point to say that this blog entry concerns doing things that are positive, legal, and beneficial. I am in no way referring to moments when people do not feel like doing something negative, illegal, or detrimental that they have agreed to do. I do not advocate that anyone involve themselves with negative, illegal, or detrimental activities in any way, shape, kind, or form.
Okay, now that we have addressed that, let’s get back to the subject of this entry. There have been times when I have reached that moment of not feeling like doing something that I have committed myself to do, and I have responded in one of two ways: I either went through with what I had agreed in advance to do, or I decided not to go through with it. And I believe that it is important to note that no matter what the decision that I made was life was still going to go on and those situations still had to be addressed by someone. And this is something of which I am generally keenly aware when I find myself in this type of predicament.
What I have noticed, more often than not, is that in those moments when I went ahead and did what I had agreed to do despite not feeling like doing so, I was blessed through the process, whether it be that my relationship with the person with whom I had made the agreement was nurtured, or I experienced something positive as a direct result of the work that I did. And ultimately not only did I enjoy the benefit of receiving that blessing, but I also just felt good.
Whereas, in those moments when I opted not to do what I had agreed to do, I often felt hollow and in some ways guilty, especially if I did not have a truly valid reason for not following through on my word. And that my dears is a rough state for me to be in, because to me my word is extremely important, and if I say that I am going to do something, then it is essential that I follow through with it.
Thankfully, I have experienced more moments of following through with what I have agreed to do, than of not doing so. However, I still have to remind myself to not take those moments and decisions lightly, especially since not only is it important to me that I keep my word, but it is also important to me that others keep their word to me. Keeping one’s word says a lot about a person: it demonstrates that they are trustworthy, dependable, that the person whom they keep their word to is important to them, and that the relationship that they have with that person matters to them. And who does not appreciate that? #lovebythedrop
love by the drop 