The journey toward controlling yourself at your deepest level--your soul--is a journey.
It takes time.
It takes intentionality.
Just like a lot of things in life.
As we learned before, we will persist in doing good things that help us get there, and we will also resist negative things that prevent us from getting there.
We learned this from Epictetus:
Two words should be taken to heart and obeyed when exerting ourselves for good and restraining ourselves from evil–words that will ensure a blameless and untroubled life: persist and resist.
Remember that there are three areas of our beings that we will focus on as we journey toward Soul Control:
Body
Mind
Soul
Today we talk about Resisting in our Bodies.
Let's Avoid Excess
Excess can weigh us down and slow us down in our journey toward Soul Control.
Excess, by definition, is more than enough, it's beyond the scope of the ordinary, it's immoderate indulgence" according to Dictionary.com.
Avoiding excess in these three areas will move us along our journey well.
1 - Food
Going through my health journey the past year as we discovered cancer in my body, turned me toward some more beneficial diets.
Specifically, learning to focus on digestion.
Digestion?
Yes, digestion.
When we eat is just as important as what we eat.
How much we eat is also one of those key factors.
I was encouraged to never eat until full.
What? Isn't every meal a holiday feast?
Um, no.
When we are able to eat lightly, it allows our bodies to digest the food in order to be properly fueled.
Without snacking between meals, it allows my body to digest the food properly and completely before I add in more for it to digest.
It gives my stomach rest between meals.
And when I stop eating 2 hours before bedtime, it allows my body to have fully digested its food before falling asleep, allowing me better rest while I'm sleeping.
Digestion really was key!
2 - Possessions
Have you been in a cluttered room of someone else's and felt jittery or anxious inside?
I have.
Too many times it's been my own room too!!!
This may be a broad statement that doesn't fit everyone, but most of us were wired and created to create order around us.
When we surround ourselves with too many things, it affects us on a deep, subconscious level.
(I've been told there's real science behind this.)
Plus, too many times with all of those extra possessions and things, it ends up being an over-extension of our wallets--Leaving us in debt to these things that cause us anxiety!
Think about what Ryan Holiday says about this:
No one is having less fun than the overextended, overcommitted person with debtors at their door. No one is less free than the person trapped on a treadmill moving faster and faster and faster but going nowhere.
It's not fun being in debt.
There's not freedom in constantly spending and buying things that don't even satisfy us in our everyday lives.
Stay within your means financially, and help your subconscious anxiety stay under control too!
3 - Schedule
I like planners.
I like to have a plan.
I like to have a schedule.
A few years ago I had a goal of meeting with someone for lunch or coffee once a week.
There were different men in the community I wanted to learn from, and they each eagerly said yes.
Yet I was entering a busy season at work, and soon found that once a week was too much.
I had agreed to a few other projects and committees as well, and I found myself stretched and stressed because of my schedule.
I had said Yes too many times.
I had overcommitted myself, and I was feeling the repercussions of it.
Now, this isn't to say that you cannot have a busy season.
Sometimes that's how life is.
There's a busy season that requires more time and more commitments from us.
A busy season should not last longer than 3 months. If it lasts longer than that, it's not a season; it's your lifestyle.
And your lifestyle needs adjusted.
Resist the urge to have excess!
Pay attention to your food intake, your wallet and your possessions, and your schedule.
Excess in these areas will prevent you from moving forward on your journey toward Soul Control.
Bonus for You
I created a tool that helps me stay organized and helps me gain clarity each day, each week and each month.
I focus on the Top 3 each day, and my Top 3 each week.
I ask questions each month to help me schedule what's important that month.
Gain clarity and stay organized with the Clarity Planner.
Learn more here.
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