“Does it take a lot of discipline to do what you do?”

I got in the elevator last night with a woman from my office building, a casual acquaintance. She looked at me and said, “You are always so serene. I admire that!”

I thanked, her, and said that teaching people how to be serene is what I do. I hinted she might want to learn it herself.

She shook her head doubtfully and replied, “Those things take so much discipline.”

Those things? Was she thinking of meditation, or yoga? When I checked the word “discipline” inside, it didn’t fit what I do.

“Not so much discipline,” I said. “More like intention.”

“Ah,” she said, “I like that. Intention. It doesn’t rouse the rebel!”

Today, intend to pause and sense

Focusing comes with intention, but it doesn’t take discipline. It’s quite easy.

Today, for example, make an intention that you will pause and sense… after each phone call, or when you’re stopped at a traffic light. Intentionally pause, become aware of your body. Notice what your fingers and touching, and enjoy the texture of whatever is under your fingers. Check your stomach. Calm? Tense?

If your stomach is calm, enjoy it. If it isn’t, take another moment to say hello to something in you having a hard time with something. Maybe, if given a chance, it will tell you what it is. (Let it know you hear it.)

I wouldn’t call that discipline, would you? It’s certainly not will power. Will power is vastly overrated. If I don’t find myself doing what I need to do, I’ll get curious. I’ll sense in my body for “what’s in the way,” and listen for a while. I usually discover that something was missing that was needed, for the project to go ahead in the right way. If I had tried to push past that, I’d be going against my own wisdom.

Back to meditation. Should meditation take discipline? I’d say, of course not! And of course Focusing can help with that. If you’re interested in how Focusing can support your meditation (and vice versa), I invite your interest in our new course coming up, see below.

Enjoy pausing today!