January 2021: “Discipline” Theme Round-Up
As the end of January comes into view, we wanted to reflect on our month of unpacking discipline. We’ve talked about how discipline manifested in our lives; we’ve talked with Meredith Clemons and Reena SenGupta about discipline in their respective fields; we’ve talked about Lara’s life and how it has been dominated by disciplined environments. We’ve felt confused, challenged, been forced to redefine and rethink concepts that seemed like second nature. We tried to answer questions like “is there moral value in being a disciplined person?” and “how can we make sure our disciplined natures are helping us and not holding us back?” After recording our four podcasts on discipline, we are ready to redefine the term to fit our needs. These were Mallory, Makena, and Lara’s biggest takeaways from the month:
Mallory: It isn’t that having discipline is inherently bad or hurtful. It’s just that we’ve put all this moral value and weight on displaying discipline, as if the end goal is always to be a consistent and disciplined person. My biggest takeaway is to reflect on the ways discipline can help me, but making sure listening to my body and intuition comes first.
Makena: This month chatting about discipline has been transformational for me. The biggest lesson I have taken from this month is that discipline is in no way connected to your worth, your moral value, or how you choose to show up in the world. These are realizations I had flirted with in the past, but this past month I feel like I have really integrated these beliefs into my life. I expect my brain will challenge these newfound truths for a long time, maybe even the rest of my life, but I am prepared to meet those challenges with compassion and empathy, armed with the knowledge that I am enough just as I am.
Lara: Hearing Reena and Meredith’s perspectives on discipline was really helpful for me. Definitely go listen to those episodes. In terms of my own relationship to discipline, I have had a pattern in my life with my relationship to discipline and the pattern won’t be interrupted unless I interrupt it. It was such a fun theme. I’m sad to see it go.
If you haven’t had a chance to listen to one of our four podcasts on discipline or read our blog posts, head to the links below:
Discipline Episode 1: “Discipline, the Grit Scale, and How Society Measures Success”
Discipline Blog Post 1: “Are You Disciplined, or Just Privileged? “
Discipline Episode 2: “Discipline or Abuse? A Conversation about Athletics, Group Fitness, and Performing Arts”
Discipline Blog Post 2: “The Good, the Bad, and the Hopeful of Discipline in Fitness” (Written by Meredith Clemons)
Discipline Episode 3: “The Allure of Discipline: A Case Study with Lara Vanderbilt”
Discipline Blog Post 3: “When Discipline Is Your Identity”
Discipline Episode 4: “Is Your Discipline Expansive?”
Discipline Blog Post 4: “Dedication > Discipline”
Shoutout to Meredith Clemons & Reena SenGupta for being our two podcast guests this month! We so appreciate their perspectives, thoughts, and friendship. Follow Meredith on IG at @mclemyoga and Reena on IG at @urban__buddha.
Resources from the Month:
Mallory’s blog post on discipline: “We Are Humans, Not Robots”
“Range” by David Epstein
”Grit” by Angela Duckworth
Shannon Hugman, professional astrologer
Emily the Medium’s Collective
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ANDDDDD you’ve read to the bottom which means you get to know our theme for next month:
drum roll please
Relationships!
We are talking about relationships with ourselves, our partners, our parents, our dogs, our minds, etc. We are going to be talking about therapy, love, regret, hope, all the things and we are SO excited for what we have in store.
Make sure you subscribe to F*ck Wellness and follow us on IG at @generationthreegirls.