I shared this lesson with my Sacred Circle Group this week and wanted to share it with you…

It’s 10am on Wednesday morning. Our nine-month old boy, Kailash had just gone down for a nap (this is a feat in itself because he’s a light sleeper).

Now, I’m sitting in my office with an unknown period of time to “get stuff done.” Should I tackle my “to do” list? Should I take a nap? Should I clean? Should I do some of the projects I’ve been putting off? Should I continue this great book I’ve been reading?

In any moment, there are hundreds of things vying for our attention and hundreds of things we’d love to be doing. But, how do you know which one to choose since there never seems enough time for them all? For in choosing one, you disregard another.

One of the best things to do is ask, “What are the results of my actions going to be in one week? One month? One year?”

By taking the “long view” vs. what do I want in this moment, you create discipline to provide yourself the long-term freedom vs. short-term pleasure fulfillment.

It takes an incredible amount of inner strength to choose the long-term benefits vs. short-term pleasures. But, in doing so, you create true joy and freedom.

I remind myself this each time I do yoga. You might guess that I love it. But honestly, every time I go I have to “pump myself up” and remember the long-term benefits and my long-term goal of sitting comfortably in meditation and also being able to sit comfortably while in the ashram, where you may spend hours at a time in close quarters sitting cross-legged.

I continue to remind myself of this long-term goal as I watch the 70-year-old woman across from me move flawlessly through the postures, while I’m trying to lift my leg or touch my toes.

However, the other day I noticed that my regular yoga practice has resulted in sitting taller, having less back pain and being more flexible.

The other place where I really have to look at long-term benefits vs. short-term pleasure is in meditation. Before Kai was born I had a regular 30 minute daily practice. But, since his birth it has been very sporadic. The part of me that wants to go back to bed seems to keep winning over the part of me that knows the importance.

So, I had to again cultivate the discipline inherent within me and remember the “long-term” benefits.

What will be the result of 10 minutes of meditation vs. 10 minutes of sleep in one week? One month? One year?

Reminding myself that in the long-term, the benefits of meditation far outweigh the benefits of a little extra sleep, I committed to a simple goal of 10 minutes each morning.

Where in your life have you been making choices out of short-term pleasure vs. long-term joy and freedom? Allow yourself to take the “long-view” and then make simple steps that support it. I’m not going to say it’s easy, but it’s worth it. As my teacher says, “discipline = freedom!”

Set up accountability and extra support where needed. If you are not sure where to start, trust your inner guidance system to lead you to people or tools that can help you.

And remember that the core of who you are IS discipline and inner strength. They are already characteristics inherent in you. Although they may be latent, they can be activated by your will.

So, the next time I pass by my meditation spot on my way back to bed, I’ll think of you and my commitment in this lesson and will go light my candle and sit (more comfortably each day with the yoga) in meditation.

Or the next time I want to grab chocolate after a meal instead of just being satisfied with the food, I’ll… Oh, that’s a whole other lesson…

Supporting you through the beauty, chaos and everything in between!