My last article raised these questions:

Can you be productive without pushing? And –

How do you source a sense of stability in times of rapid change?

One answer lies in an apparent paradox:

Find freedom through the discipline of practice.

For example, the more you coach, the less you focus on “getting it right.” The accumulated practice of being present in coaching, of utilizing specific coaching models and frameworks, will internalize over time and become transparent for you. You reach unconscious competence and become free from having to think consciously about what you’re doing.

The discipline of honing your craft requires practice, often accompanied or supported by using specific structures.

For all you structure-phobes: Stay with me here. This is not about stuffing you into someone else’s box. That would be the opposite of freedom and won’t be productive if you’re in resistance.

Masterful coaches will tell you they had to learn the structure and techniques of coaching in order to know how to flex beyond the structure effectively. By the way: “flex beyond the structure” = dance spontaneously in the moment = freedom in the coaching.

In the same way, practices in daily life can support you and your clients with maintaining a sense of balance when your inner and outer landscapes are a blur when life is moving so quickly.

When things are moving most quickly may be the times you most need to implement practices that ground, center and renew us.

Current practices that allow me to function in a very full life without spontaneously combusting include:

1)   (Almost) daily yoga practice – Gentle stretching with some strength-building helps quiet the occasionally intense creative voices within.

2)   Assisted meditation – Going to sleep at night with an MP3 player playing guided meditations helps me drop off very quickly and sleep deeply so I can wake up feeling more rested. This also allows me to bring additional focus to specific areas of transformation I’m addressing.

3)   Writing – Being in my comfy chair, laptop on my lap, by 6 AM Monday – Friday for at least an hour of writing helps me access my most creative energies of the day.

4)   Wake-up ritual – Incorporating a specific mindfulness practice including a qi gong exercise helps me move into my mornings feeling much more balanced and connected with myself.

The really paradoxical thing about these practices: The more disciplined I am with them, the more they support me with having an overall sense of flowing productivity. And that space of flow is very freeing!

You can see how I source self connection and balance through these practices. And – that self connection may be where the true power of practice resides, by giving you the internal balance and flexibility to move with the currents of life, no matter how quickly those currents are flowing!

Is it time for you to take a look at your practices and where you might benefit from discipline?

What practices do you use to support and sustain yourself and/or your business?

What practices need to be changed or added to support you with your next level of growth?

What practices do you most resist?

Share your thoughts on practice below, including those practices that have benefitted you the most.

Hugs,

Lyn