Be sure to scroll to the bottom of this post for a PDF version and other notes.
If you’re new to Daily Prompts, you may want to start at the beginning of the series here.
Year______ Month_______Day______Consecutive Practice Days_____Missed Days______
Day 48
Consistency vs. Seasons.
We’ve spent the last couple of days talking about consistency and how powerful a Daily Practice is at creating momentum. But the Lyceum Method is a guilt-free zone. If you miss a day or two (or months) guilt doesn’t help. The only thing that works is to start again- today.
I used to think of myself as a failure because of my lack of consistency. I’d get creative spurts that would propel me forward toward my goals, then before the finish line, I’d trip. Or I would see a butterfly and just wander off the track completely. I’m often distracted by opportunity. I see possibilities everywhere. But this optimism would work against me as I would go from one idea to the next without finishing much.
I used to really get angry with myself about this. I saw other people succeeding who seemed to have questionable ethics and sometimes questionable intelligence. Then I would beat myself up about my lack of success due to inconsistent action. This is where The Lyceum Method came from. It was my attempt at “fixing” myself.
When I let go of so much future-thinking with goals and began to focus on my Daily Practices toward a Vision, it became a lot easier to be more consistent. The Practice is fun and every day it’s completed feels like a victory. Ironic then, that I’m about to give you permission to be inconsistent.
Not that you need my permission. But I’ve come to realize that we’ve been lied to for several generations. I have a surprising truth to share with you:
We are not machines.
You’ve been told that your brain is just a wet computer. It’s not.
You’ve been told your body is just a complex mechanical device. It’s not.
We even use it as a compliment in the gym or workplace, “Man, you’re a machine!”
No. You. Are. Not.
Don’t believe it. People have been described as destructive to nature. We’re taught that we are observers of the universe. Somehow separate. How exactly could this be? We are no more separate from the universe as your heart is “separate” from you. We are just as natural as any tree, grass, or bee.
Why am I telling you this? Because hustling, working, and delaying your life for a future goal is not necessarily a virtue. You’re still a valuable person, even when you’re not actively leveling up. If you’re not happy with your productivity, your consistent efforts, or your level of success, it’s likely due to this feeling that you’re supposed to be a productivity machine.
Life ebbs. Life flows. Waves come in and go back out. Seasons change. So do you.
Allow yourself to experience and accept this wave pattern of life. You’ll be leveling up and growing and charging forward sometimes. At other times you’ll take a step back, breathe, and observe the art. Sometimes you’ll swim. Sometimes you’ll float. Sometimes you may feel like you’re drowning. This too shall pass.
Everything is changing. Enjoy it! Stay curious. Indulge in the wonder of it all. That’s all life is; a series of experiences of the present moment we call now.
So let your branches reach out in leaf and flower. Grow strength and stability in your trunk as you resist the wind. Shed your canopy and sleep in the winters. Do you criticize a tree for it’s Autumn retreat? Why would you treat yourself any worse?
Allow yourself to live in seasons.
The Lyceum Method is meant to help you grow deep roots. The Daily Journal, Gratitude, Vision, Affirmation, and the Action of Daily Practices are your anchors to the earth. They allow you to enjoy the seasons with a sense of presence and wonder. They build reserves of strength for your productive springtime.
Gratitude:________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Vision:__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Affirmations:________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Action:______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Daily: (The pdf version below contains three lined pages for your daily journal)
NOTE:
The above is an excerpt from the upcoming The Lyceum Course Journal. We will be releasing it here for free as a Daily Prompt blog post. If you would like a physical copy, we will link to it here once it is released.
Suggested Use:
I realize a daily journal prompt on a blog is a little weird. This is how I would suggest using it: Open your favorite note-taking software such as Evernote, copy and paste this post into it, and write your daily entries there.
OR
Download a PDF version of this post here. Feel free to print it out, or access it through a PDF editor where you can type in your daily entry.
Collaborate With Me!
This post series is a first draft of the future book. If you have suggestions, comments, or see errors, please reach out so that I can make the final product more valuable for you and the rest of the community. Your feedback is greatly appreciated!
