Work those abs!

Yesterday, I wrote about the importance of daily devotions, especially of journaling. But how do you do it on a consistent basis? It takes discipline and that’s a word many of us don’t care for.

But I found a secret for developing discipline that can make it easier, even enjoyable, and I’ll share it with you in a moment. First, let me describe what often happens when we try to learn a new discipline.

Years ago, I felt a need for regular exercise. I saw an ad on TV. Only three easy payments of $49.95 for a NordicTrack bicycle, guaranteed to give you abs of steel. Or was it buns?

I opened the box on a Monday, and boy did I have a great workout! Sixty minutes of pure cardio. It was awesome! The next day, another great workout. Forty five minutes of pure cardio. Wednesday, I was on a roll! Thirty minutes of pure cardio. I missed Thursday, but Friday, another great workout. Fifteen minutes of pure cardio.

Saturday, I took the day off in observance of the Sabbath. And Sunday, of course, is my own personal day of rest.

On Monday, I discovered another great use for the NordicTrack, one they failed to mention on the infomercial. I found that when you come out of the shower and go to your room to change, the handlebars make a great place to hang your wet towel. And when you go to bed, the seat of the bike makes a great place to hang your clothes.

Yep! For only three easy payments of $49.95, I had a new towel rack and a clothes hangar.

So much for the exercise!

Then, some friends invited me to join them in their outrigger canoe. It’s a popular sport in Hawaii. The boat seats six and you paddle together as a team. I wasn’t up to par with the rest of them physically, but it was okay. They were there just to have fun and fellowship with other guys. If by accident, you got some exercise, that was frosting on the cake!

For the next two years, we went out three times a week. It was an hour of pure cardio in the most enjoyable setting on the face of the earth. Off Waikiki and around Diamond Head. Spectacular!

I developed the discipline of exercise without even knowing it.

So here is the key I told you I would share with you. You take the discipline that you are trying to develop and simply piggyback it, or attach it, on to something else that you really enjoy.

That’s how I developed the discipline of daily devotions. I attached it to something I already enjoyed. Here’s what worked for me.

I’m a coffee drinker. For years, I’ve started my day each morning at Starbucks. I would read the paper, then get out my day planner and go over my schedule.

Now, instead of the newspaper and planner, I read a passage of scripture and write in my journal. And I love it. It is not a drag. It’s something I look forward to. 

I developed the discipline of devotions by attaching it to something I already enjoyed, and like I said yesterday, I rarely miss a day.

If coffee is not your thing, I have a couple other suggestions you might try and I’ll share them with you tomorrow. The following day, I’ll give you an easy to follow outline for journaling. It’s all about SOAP. I hope you’ll stop by again!