July 19, 2025 • 27 mins
Discipline and self-control aren't just religious concepts—they're powerful spiritual weapons that unlock your God-given purpose. Brandon and Isabel Dimond dive deep into Proverbs 21:5, revealing how "the plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance" while hasty, undisciplined living inevitably leads to spiritual poverty.
Through vulnerable personal stories, the hosts share their struggles with maintaining discipline. Brandon recounts a three-year period where lack of self-control trapped him in cycles of sin, while Isabel confesses to once being so rigidly structured she "was more of a robot than human." Their journeys highlight a crucial truth: finding the sweet spot of spirit-led discipline doesn't happen overnight.
The conversation takes a practical turn when Brandon explains how the enemy uses distraction to derail destiny. "He loves making your life seem haywire when in reality it's not," Brandon notes. Isabel adds that doubt becomes particularly dangerous when God's promises take years or decades to manifest—a biblical pattern we often forget in our instant-gratification culture.
Structure emerges as the antidote to distraction, with the hosts offering actionable strategies for "calendarizing" your life. Unlike typical calendar users who only note major appointments, they recommend mapping your entire day to identify time-wasters and intentionally allocate moments toward purpose-driven activities. Their Google Calendar color-coding system and task management techniques provide a framework anyone can implement.
Perhaps most powerfully, Brandon closes with a litmus test for authentic purpose: "Whatever the Lord's going to call you into, it's going to be sacrificial...not for your own personal gain, but for God's glory and to progress His kingdom." This challenging insight invites listeners to examine their ambitions through a kingdom lens.
Ready to break free from distraction and walk in divine discipline? Connect with us on Instagram @ontrack_official and join us next week as we explore emotional intelligence in our continuing series on planning for your purpose.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Hey guys, welcome back to OnTrack Podcast with
your host, brandon and IsabelDiamond.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Hey guys.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Today, we'll be exploring what the Bible says
about discipline andself-control and the power of
eliminating distractions andimplementing structure, as well
as calendarizing and long-termplanning.
We hope you enjoy this week'sepisode.
Yeah, so, isabel, what does theBible say about discipline and
(00:34):
self-control?
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Wow.
Well, there's a lot that theBible says about self-control
and discipline.
I think they're two virtues,two characteristics of God that
are so difficult to execute inyour life and adopt in your life
, and so that's why it's talkedabout so much.
We can point to scripture toanswer that question.
One verse that comes to mind isProverbs 21.5.
(00:58):
The plans of the diligent leadsurely to abundance, but
everyone who is hasty comes onlyto poverty, and this proverb
emphasizes the importance ofplanning and forethought in
achieving prosperity,essentially, and it's
contrasting with hasty actionswhich ultimately lead to loss.
And so I think it's just againhoning in on yeah, if you're
(01:21):
diligent and you can stewardthat in your life, then you will
ultimately be walking inabundance, as long as you're
ultimately walking in what Godhas for you.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
Yeah, that's really good and essentially, it's
really important to understanddiscipline and self-control,
because this will allow us tocarry out the plans and purpose
the Lord has for our lives.
It's easy to lack self-controland lack discipline, and that's
(01:54):
why it's really important topress into scripture and
understand what that looks like.
And again, in Proverbs 25, itstates a man without
self-control is like a citybroken into the left without
walls, basically insinuatingthat there's no able to really
have suitable self-control forthe things that are set before
(02:30):
you.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
That's really good, and I think it's also important
to keep in mind that diligenceis kind of a word that conveys
long-term, like you have tosteward something and attend to
it well, consistently, over aperiod of time until you see the
fruit of it.
And I think, especially intoday's society, we just see how
(02:51):
delayed gratification is not athing.
People want their status to besatisfied immediately, and if
they're not, they're just likeoh for, forgo it, I'll try
something else.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
Absolutely, and when I was going through just a
period where I wanted to do more, I knew I knew there was more
meant for my life and there waslike a three to four year period
in which I had zeroself-control and zero discipline
.
So I kept in falling intoperpetual sin.
(03:23):
That kept weighing me down, andso the Lord really worked on my
self-control and disciplinethroughout those years and it
was just something that I reallyhad to grow into.
It was like I was faking ituntil I was making it and that's
kind of a statement that goesaround but it was real and I
(03:43):
just felt like, honestly, I wasimpersonating someone that I was
looked up to or idolized.
Yet that wasn't really the case.
It was just the Lord bringingme in and through to develop
these two very importantattributes.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
That's really good and I think it.
These attributes really revealthemselves when you have lived
through a season like that,where it's just perpetual,
basically running into a walland not recognizing that your
daily habits are extremelyimportant in terms of growing
(04:20):
close to the Lord and actuallywalking out what he's called you
to do.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
Yeah, that's really good.
Yeah.
And another way the enemyreally loves to work is through
distraction and making your lifeseem haywire when in reality
it's not, and he lovesinstilling doubt within yourself
to not necessarily fullyunderstand what it is you're
working towards.
(04:45):
So I think implementingstructure and eliminating
distractions are really whereeverything begins.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
That's really good.
Yeah, the enemy aims to divertyour focus and derail your
progress by employingdistractions, and I know we
touched on this in the previousepisode and you mentioned doubt,
and I think doubt is a crucialword here, because I think
oftentimes, you know, I'veencountered so many people
myself included where it's like,okay, we've identified what
(05:19):
we're called to do, but it's nothappening.
Right, and like, why isn't ithappening?
And you hold onto the promisesthat the Lord's given you, but
they're just not happening.
And we see so often inscripture where people are
called to do these big things,but it's not until 40 years, 50,
60 years later that the promiseis fulfilled.
And so I think, yeah, goingback to the delayed
(05:40):
gratification component as well,it's like we can't let doubt
creep in, we can't let the enemydistract us with doubt.
Um, because ultimately, yeah,you will start to not believe
anymore that the Lord actuallydid speak to you and reveal your
plan and purpose.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
Yeah, absolutely.
Um, so how has structurepersonally played a role in
within your life, Isabel?
Speaker 2 (06:07):
Yeah, I think I lived and breathed structure, maybe
too much.
I mean, you know, in mytestimony I talked about music
being a big part of my life andyou know I would.
I spent nine years playing inensembles and orchestras and
that required a lot ofdiscipline and you know there
(06:28):
were a lot of people counting onyou as a musician and if you
messed up you got reprimandedand basically humiliated in
front of a lot of people, and soyou really had to, like, get
your act together and make surethat you never dropped the ball.
So from a young age until anadult, I just learned like you
really need to show up foryourself so you can show up for
other people.
And then, as I mentioned incollege, like I was very
(06:50):
structured to the point where Iwould pull out an index card
every single night before I wentto bed and I would write out
what I would do every 30 minuteinterval for the next day and it
would be my map.
I wouldn't know exactly what myday would entail, but I, you
know, I'd always pull outbasically my blueprint for the
day and make sure that Ifollowed it to a T, so that I
couldn't, so that I didn't missanything, and so I, in some ways
(07:12):
, was a little bit more of likea robot, um, and I've had to,
like, come back to my, like,human instincts.
Um, yeah, there's manyoccasions in which structure was
crucial in order for me to, youknow, stay on track.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
Yeah, that's great.
I think structure andorganization tie together, and
that's something that wasinstilled within boot camp.
I think it was really importantto know where all your tools
and different equipment is on aday-to-day basis in order for
you to be most efficient andmost combat ready and effective.
(07:51):
So I think it's reallyimportant to really hone in on
what structure and, yeah,structure looks like for you as
well as organization, becauseorganization leads to the
ability to be more structured,as well as decluttering your
mind essentially as well yeah,yeah, there's a, there's a
(08:11):
phrase out there like whateveryour room looks like is the
byproduct of what's going on inyour mental state, and I think
there's a lot of truth to that.
Just because it's like wheneverI have everything organized on
my desk, whenever my whole roomis organized and I just feel
clean and just in a space thatis very effective to be
(08:35):
efficient, mentally, I'm just ina much better place and vice
versa.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
I can see that and I can attest that too.
Like I thought I was somewhatof an organized person and then
going into marriage and seeinghow Brandon was organized, I was
like, wow, I have a lot tolearn.
So, yeah, you know, we get tolearn from one another and
that's great and there's so muchfruit to it.
So when was a season, morespecifically, where you felt
like you're really locked in andfocused, and what grew from
(09:03):
that?
Speaker 1 (09:04):
Honestly, I think the pursuit of marriage was a
season where the Lord brought mein to really understand my
identity which we'll talk aboutin the next episode understand
the plans and purposes he's hadfor my life for years.
That stemmed five years ago,five plus years ago and what
(09:27):
he's calling me into and I thinkit has just made that much more
clear within this previousseason of my life of working
towards marriage and growing theman I was becoming to lead a
household, and I think that wassomething that was very
beautiful, and it wasn't onlyuntil I pressed into my
(09:48):
relationship with God that Ithere was so much fruit that
came from that.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
That's really good.
Sometimes it's not until you'repursuing somebody where you're
like oh, I need to kick my lifeup to the next gear.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
Yeah, I need to get myself in gear, or else this
ain't going to work out.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
But it did work out.
It's all good.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
Can you bring us into that question as well?
When was the season where youwere really locked in and
focused and just kind of whatgrew from that?
Speaker 2 (10:22):
I think there's many examples in my life.
Like I said, I was like a robotand now I'm becoming human.
For most of my life, structurewas almost easy to maintain
because I was in a lot ofinstitutes or programs that
(10:43):
provided that structure.
It wasn't until I was no longerbasically holding someone's
hand to provide a little bit ofthat supplemental structure
where I was like, okay, I needto like really learn how to
implement other forms ofstructure in my life.
And so it wasn't until, like,honestly, I think the past
couple of years where my lifehonestly felt like the most
(11:06):
discombobulated and the mostunstructured it had ever been,
just because I was in a seasonof, like, full surrender, like,
okay, lord, like I know theplans and purpose you have for
my life, but right now it's notlooking like that's going to
open up.
And so, you know, workingmultiple jobs and going on
(11:27):
missions trips and just tryingto keep myself available, to
invest in community, invest infriends, and then just
deep-rooted personaltransformation and allowing
space to just dedicate time withthe Lord.
And so there was just a lot ofchange in a very short amount of
time.
Speaker 1 (11:45):
What if I don't really understand what that
means for myself right now?
What does structure look likethen?
Speaker 2 (11:51):
Yeah, I think it's challenging when you're trying
to frame structure solely aroundyour plans and purpose, right,
but I think it's challengingwhen you're trying to frame
structure solely around yourplans and purpose Right, but I
think the key structure that youcan do, no matter what as
you're exploring that, is tospend time with the Lord every
single day, and you can bestructured about that.
It doesn't have to be religious, but it can be something that
(12:12):
is embedded within your day today.
That will reap a lot ofdirection and a lot of fruit,
and I think that's ultimately nomatter what, even if you are
super clear about what it is Godhas for your life.
That is the number one prioritywhen it comes to structure.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
Yeah, I think what I was thinking about is really
just maintaining what it isyou're working towards right now
and, like you said,implementing more time with the
Lord.
That is intimate, and justreally seeking to know your
purpose.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
Continuing to press into the things the Lord wants
for you and just continuallypraying for the Lord to make it
clear to you what it is he iscalling of you Absolutely.
And going back to my responseto the question you asked me
like, even in the midst of themost chaotic seasons, keeping
and maintaining that structurewith the Lord, he will get you
through to the other side and itwill all make sense.
And that's how it was formyself and for our marriage In a
(13:18):
lot of instances where we'relike how's this going to work or
what's going to happen, or thisseems a little all over the
place, and we just stayedconsistent with the Lord and
made Him our structure in themidst of chaos and a lot of
fruit came from that.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
Yeah, and we didn't only stay consistent with Him,
but we had a community to backus up and really press into in
order for us to continue toremain on track and just show up
day in and day out for oneanother, for ourselves and for
the people around us.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
So how can we get practical with this?
Speaker 1 (13:54):
Yeah, so we're going to jump into calendarizing and
long-term planning.
So calendarizing is essentiallyjust color coding your calendar
.
We use Google calendars to makeit simple.
We color code the things thatare going to be consistent
within our life and the thingsthat we know are going to happen
week to week.
(14:15):
We input those even weeks aheadand also the things that may be
irregular.
We input those as well, notnecessarily super small tasks
that we're able to use on, likeGoogle Tasks or a different task
app in which we use.
You can download again, like Isaid, google Tasks and Google
(14:38):
Calendars, and that's a greatplace to start.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
Yeah, I'd say, like the average person, if they do
use a calendar, it's primarilyjust for appointments and things
that are.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
Bigger events or circumstances.
Speaker 2 (14:53):
Yeah, just like I really don't want to miss this,
right, but that's not what we'retalking about here.
Yeah, of course, put thosethings on the calendar, but
we're talking about from thetime you wake up to the time you
go to bed.
Write out what you're doingduring that time.
Yeah, that's just going toallow you to implement small
(15:14):
tasks every single day that willultimately get you to where you
want to go.
So, as an example, like a gymanalogy, right, like you go to
the gym once, you're not goingto necessarily hit all of your
long-term goals in that one gymsession, but if you go to the
gym consistently every you know,five days a week or something,
(15:35):
and you block that time out overtime, you're eventually going
to reach that goal.
That same mentality goes toevery other category of your
life.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
Financially, spiritually, physically.
Speaker 2 (15:46):
Emotionally.
Take time for yourself.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So not only calendarizing isimportant but really
understanding from week to weekwhat it is that you want to
accomplish.
And those are like bigger goalsthat you want to get done for
each week and differentappointments that need to be set
, different things that need toget done to ultimately help you
(16:13):
towards that bigger one month,three month, six month goal.
And it's really just beingdiligent day to day and just
really understanding where it isyou're taking yourself.
Speaker 2 (16:25):
And I think there's something that should be
discussed here, because for halfthe audience listening you
might be like, oh right, yeah, Iwant to jump into calendarizing
, and for the other half youmight just completely feel like
there's like a knot in yourstomach because calendarizing
scares you, and I know for a lotof people, like calendarizing
or planning in the future isdaunting and nerve wracking and
(16:47):
is not an exciting idea.
But we just want to say herethat calendarizing and having
structure in your life actuallyallows you more flexibility.
Ultimately, if something comesup and you need to adjust things
, you're fully aware of whatyou're adjusting and what you're
moving around, whereas ifyou're kind of more of like go
(17:07):
with the flow type person andsomething comes up, you don't
really know what you're shiftingand you don't really know what
those ramifications will be comethe next day or the following
day, if there's things that youreally need to attend to or make
priority.
But if you're fully aware ofyour tasks and the things you
want to accomplish and yourmicro goals from day to day,
then it's really easy to shiftthings around appropriately so
(17:29):
that you can still achieve thosethings but also make
accommodations for things thatcome up in life.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
Yeah, absolutely.
And going on to long-termplanning, it's really important
to understand the long-term goalfirst, because then you're able
to really work your waybackward.
Speaker 2 (17:50):
Yeah, as, like a little practical exercise with
this, we would recommend justpulling out Google Calendar and,
as we kind of pushed y'all in aprevious episode with listing
out all the things that you doon a given day, or all the
things you're passionate aboutand so forth, take a look at
that list or recreate it and, asan exercise, jot down what
(18:15):
you're doing every given hour orhalf hour of the day, so you
literally would write out I wakeup at this time, I spend time
with the Lord, I drink my coffee, I go for a run, I am at work
from nine to five.
After work, I'm driving, afterdriving, I you know whatever.
You list it out until your headhits the pillow.
(18:37):
And that might sound extreme,but the time that's not
accounted for is time that ismissed, right, and so it's not
that we are encouraging peopleto be like zombies and just
operate or death by calendar.
Right, death by calendar,whatever you want to call it.
(18:57):
We're just kind of saying like,hey, you need to let, you need
to take ownership and control insome regard of where you're
allocating your time, becausethis is going to allow you to
ultimately steward disciplineand self-control and not let
life, just, you know, swing youaround and you just kind of ebb
and flow based on who calls youor who wants to hang out or what
(19:19):
you feel like doing.
But when you have something seton a calendar, it holds you
accountable and that's whatallows you to start to implement
that discipline andself-control in your day to day.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
Yeah, and I don't think you necessarily have to do
every waking hour.
That might get a littledaunting in terms of when you
brush your teeth, when you drinka coffee, when you read a book
or whatever, but I think justbeginning with the larger things
that are taking up the majorityof your day will will benefit
(19:54):
you.
Taking up the majority of yourday will benefit you, and then
you can get in those minutedetails when you whittle down
your time in order to reallyhone in on the free moments you
do have, in order to incorporatesomething in that time, and
just make sure to take restperiods, make sure to just take
time for yourself, whether youlike reading books or watching a
(20:15):
show or whatever it may be.
Speaker 2 (20:19):
And this also just identifies, maybe, bad habits
that you didn't realize you had.
Like, oh, I spend three hours aday scrolling on Instagram.
I had no idea, so it actuallyreally helps you again.
Just instill thatself-discipline and kind of
eliminate all the things that,yeah, aren't good for you.
And if you always wanted toread books and you always and
(20:44):
you said you never had time to,now that you are going to use
calendar, you can dedicate 10-15minutes a day and for sure know
you'll get it done and thenyou'll be a book reader before
you know absolutely.
Speaker 1 (20:58):
and yeah, jumping over to Google Tasks, it's
really important to createdifferent sections and then
you're able to put in subtasksin those sections in order.
For myself, just because of thesimplicity of it, it's really
(21:27):
important to me that things aresimple, just because then I
don't overthink it and createway more structure within that
to then make it just not reallyunderstandable.
Yeah, just jumping to long-termplanning.
Yeah, just jumping to long-termplanning.
Speaker 2 (21:44):
Long-term planning is only able to be achieved when
you have a distant goal in mind,and I think, starting with that
(22:07):
distant goal and working yourway backwards will allow you to
think through more thoroughly ofall the things that it's going
to take and requires of you inorder to accomplish that goal.
An example of long-termplanning yeah, I, you know I'm
starting medical school in twoweeks from now, which is crazy
and I'm really excited.
But it didn't just happen andjust fall on my lap.
It was a process, right.
(22:27):
So in high school I knew that Iwanted to go to medical school,
so I applied as a pre-medstudent.
Speaker 1 (22:34):
And that's a big goal .
You don't just think of itovernight, and it just happens
right, then and there.
Speaker 2 (22:40):
Yeah, so, you know, go to college as a pre-med
student and then you take a lotof courses, a lot of science
courses, work really, reallyhard, and then you graduate
college as a pre-med student andthen you have to take the MCAT,
which is an eight hour exam.
That is, you know, veryexhausting, and you have to plan
(23:03):
for that and study for sixmonths, up to a year, and it has
to be considered like afull-time job.
So that takes a lot of planningand preparation.
And then you have to apply tomedical school, which takes a
whole year and it coststhousands of dollars, and that
takes a lot of planning andpreparation in writing a
(23:23):
personal statement and gettingyour letters of recommendation
and all the details.
And then you have to interviewfor schools, which requires
flying places and planning, andthen, if you do get accepted to
medical school, then that's fouryears of grueling, you know,
work and then, and then you'llbecome a doctor.
So how many years was that?
(23:44):
Like a decade.
Speaker 1 (23:47):
So but how did you come to understanding what was
behind applying to med schooland going to med school and
everything?
Speaker 2 (23:55):
you know, a lot of it was being curious and
surrounding myself around theright people and mentors that
led me and pointed me in theright direction, and also asking
the Lord for wisdom, to give methe grace and the patience to
move forward.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
Did you do a lot of research in the thing you wanted
to jump into?
Speaker 2 (24:19):
You know it's funny.
I honestly didn't even knowthat pre-med students took
organic chemistry.
I think a lot of it was justlike a big slap in the face.
But yeah, I think it's a lot oflearn as you go.
But again, you just keep thebig picture in mind.
You don't know all the minutedetails.
I didn't know how to study forthe MCAT or what that would
entail or all the money thatwould go into it.
(24:44):
But you just start with what youknow and you're diligent with
it and you're like all right,I'm in an immunology class, I'm
going to sit in this and workreally hard and do as best as I
can.
And then you go on to the nextthing and you're just diligent
in the thing that's set beforeyou, but you keep the end goal
in mind and you don't know allthe details, you don't know all
the steps, but you don't need toknow all the steps.
But I think, again, we talkabout knowing your plan, your
(25:04):
purpose, because God will revealthe details as you need to know
them along the way, and that'swhere faith comes in.
Speaker 1 (25:10):
Absolutely.
And one thing to really keep inmind and to understand is that
whatever the Lord's going tocall you into, it's going to be
sacrificial.
Really important to know that,whatever it is you're going to
be stepping into, it's going tobe sacrificial and it's not
going to be for your ownpersonal gain, but for God's
(25:33):
glory and for, ultimately, toprogress his kingdom.
Speaker 2 (25:38):
Yeah, that's really good.
And again, that's anotheridentifier.
Like does this build me up ordoes this build God up?
Speaker 1 (25:45):
when it comes to identifying your purpose, yeah,
and does this build me up ordoes it build others up?
And it's really important tokeep our eyes set on everyone
around us rather than ourselves.
Right To eliminate selfishdesire.
Eliminate selfish desire.
(26:12):
Yeah, so to end off here, wejust really want you to reach
out.
If you have any questions.
We want to answer anything youmay be confused about or may not
understand throughout thisepisode.
Just message us on Instagram aton track underscore official,
and you can find us there, andwe'd love to just chat with you
and give you further insightinto the things that were
discussed today.
Speaker 2 (26:32):
Absolutely yeah.
We thank you all for tuninginto this week's episode where
we discuss the value ofdiscipline and self control when
it came to diligently walkingout our purpose.
We dove into the power ofeliminating distractions and
implementing structure, and wegot practical on how to
calendarize effectively for thebest execution for your
short-term and long-term goals.
(26:54):
Come back next week as wecontinue our series of planning
for your purpose, where we willdiscuss how to expand and grow
in emotional intelligence.
And don't forget to check outagain our Instagram at on track
underscore official.
We hope you have such anincredible week ahead.
Hey guys, welcome back to OnTrack Podcast with
your host, brandon and IsabelDiamond.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Hey guys.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Today, we'll be exploring what the Bible says
about discipline andself-control and the power of
eliminating distractions andimplementing structure, as well
as calendarizing and long-termplanning.
We hope you enjoy this week'sepisode.
Yeah, so, isabel, what does theBible say about discipline and
(00:34):
self-control?
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Wow.
Well, there's a lot that theBible says about self-control
and discipline.
I think they're two virtues,two characteristics of God that
are so difficult to execute inyour life and adopt in your life
, and so that's why it's talkedabout so much.
We can point to scripture toanswer that question.
One verse that comes to mind isProverbs 21.5.
(00:58):
The plans of the diligent leadsurely to abundance, but
everyone who is hasty comes onlyto poverty, and this proverb
emphasizes the importance ofplanning and forethought in
achieving prosperity,essentially, and it's
contrasting with hasty actionswhich ultimately lead to loss.
And so I think it's just againhoning in on yeah, if you're
(01:21):
diligent and you can stewardthat in your life, then you will
ultimately be walking inabundance, as long as you're
ultimately walking in what Godhas for you.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
Yeah, that's really good and essentially, it's
really important to understanddiscipline and self-control,
because this will allow us tocarry out the plans and purpose
the Lord has for our lives.
It's easy to lack self-controland lack discipline, and that's
(01:54):
why it's really important topress into scripture and
understand what that looks like.
And again, in Proverbs 25, itstates a man without
self-control is like a citybroken into the left without
walls, basically insinuatingthat there's no able to really
have suitable self-control forthe things that are set before
(02:30):
you.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
That's really good, and I think it's also important
to keep in mind that diligenceis kind of a word that conveys
long-term, like you have tosteward something and attend to
it well, consistently, over aperiod of time until you see the
fruit of it.
And I think, especially intoday's society, we just see how
(02:51):
delayed gratification is not athing.
People want their status to besatisfied immediately, and if
they're not, they're just likeoh for, forgo it, I'll try
something else.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
Absolutely, and when I was going through just a
period where I wanted to do more, I knew I knew there was more
meant for my life and there waslike a three to four year period
in which I had zeroself-control and zero discipline
.
So I kept in falling intoperpetual sin.
(03:23):
That kept weighing me down, andso the Lord really worked on my
self-control and disciplinethroughout those years and it
was just something that I reallyhad to grow into.
It was like I was faking ituntil I was making it and that's
kind of a statement that goesaround but it was real and I
(03:43):
just felt like, honestly, I wasimpersonating someone that I was
looked up to or idolized.
Yet that wasn't really the case.
It was just the Lord bringingme in and through to develop
these two very importantattributes.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
That's really good and I think it.
These attributes really revealthemselves when you have lived
through a season like that,where it's just perpetual,
basically running into a walland not recognizing that your
daily habits are extremelyimportant in terms of growing
(04:20):
close to the Lord and actuallywalking out what he's called you
to do.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
Yeah, that's really good.
Yeah.
And another way the enemyreally loves to work is through
distraction and making your lifeseem haywire when in reality
it's not, and he lovesinstilling doubt within yourself
to not necessarily fullyunderstand what it is you're
working towards.
(04:45):
So I think implementingstructure and eliminating
distractions are really whereeverything begins.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
That's really good.
Yeah, the enemy aims to divertyour focus and derail your
progress by employingdistractions, and I know we
touched on this in the previousepisode and you mentioned doubt,
and I think doubt is a crucialword here, because I think
oftentimes, you know, I'veencountered so many people
myself included where it's like,okay, we've identified what
(05:19):
we're called to do, but it's nothappening.
Right, and like, why isn't ithappening?
And you hold onto the promisesthat the Lord's given you, but
they're just not happening.
And we see so often inscripture where people are
called to do these big things,but it's not until 40 years, 50,
60 years later that the promiseis fulfilled.
And so I think, yeah, goingback to the delayed
(05:40):
gratification component as well,it's like we can't let doubt
creep in, we can't let the enemydistract us with doubt.
Um, because ultimately, yeah,you will start to not believe
anymore that the Lord actuallydid speak to you and reveal your
plan and purpose.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
Yeah, absolutely.
Um, so how has structurepersonally played a role in
within your life, Isabel?
Speaker 2 (06:07):
Yeah, I think I lived and breathed structure, maybe
too much.
I mean, you know, in mytestimony I talked about music
being a big part of my life andyou know I would.
I spent nine years playing inensembles and orchestras and
that required a lot ofdiscipline and you know there
(06:28):
were a lot of people counting onyou as a musician and if you
messed up you got reprimandedand basically humiliated in
front of a lot of people, and soyou really had to, like, get
your act together and make surethat you never dropped the ball.
So from a young age until anadult, I just learned like you
really need to show up foryourself so you can show up for
other people.
And then, as I mentioned incollege, like I was very
(06:50):
structured to the point where Iwould pull out an index card
every single night before I wentto bed and I would write out
what I would do every 30 minuteinterval for the next day and it
would be my map.
I wouldn't know exactly what myday would entail, but I, you
know, I'd always pull outbasically my blueprint for the
day and make sure that Ifollowed it to a T, so that I
couldn't, so that I didn't missanything, and so I, in some ways
(07:12):
, was a little bit more of likea robot, um, and I've had to,
like, come back to my, like,human instincts.
Um, yeah, there's manyoccasions in which structure was
crucial in order for me to, youknow, stay on track.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
Yeah, that's great.
I think structure andorganization tie together, and
that's something that wasinstilled within boot camp.
I think it was really importantto know where all your tools
and different equipment is on aday-to-day basis in order for
you to be most efficient andmost combat ready and effective.
(07:51):
So I think it's reallyimportant to really hone in on
what structure and, yeah,structure looks like for you as
well as organization, becauseorganization leads to the
ability to be more structured,as well as decluttering your
mind essentially as well yeah,yeah, there's a, there's a
(08:11):
phrase out there like whateveryour room looks like is the
byproduct of what's going on inyour mental state, and I think
there's a lot of truth to that.
Just because it's like wheneverI have everything organized on
my desk, whenever my whole roomis organized and I just feel
clean and just in a space thatis very effective to be
(08:35):
efficient, mentally, I'm just ina much better place and vice
versa.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
I can see that and I can attest that too.
Like I thought I was somewhatof an organized person and then
going into marriage and seeinghow Brandon was organized, I was
like, wow, I have a lot tolearn.
So, yeah, you know, we get tolearn from one another and
that's great and there's so muchfruit to it.
So when was a season, morespecifically, where you felt
like you're really locked in andfocused, and what grew from
(09:03):
that?
Speaker 1 (09:04):
Honestly, I think the pursuit of marriage was a
season where the Lord brought mein to really understand my
identity which we'll talk aboutin the next episode understand
the plans and purposes he's hadfor my life for years.
That stemmed five years ago,five plus years ago and what
(09:27):
he's calling me into and I thinkit has just made that much more
clear within this previousseason of my life of working
towards marriage and growing theman I was becoming to lead a
household, and I think that wassomething that was very
beautiful, and it wasn't onlyuntil I pressed into my
(09:48):
relationship with God that Ithere was so much fruit that
came from that.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
That's really good.
Sometimes it's not until you'repursuing somebody where you're
like oh, I need to kick my lifeup to the next gear.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
Yeah, I need to get myself in gear, or else this
ain't going to work out.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
But it did work out.
It's all good.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
Can you bring us into that question as well?
When was the season where youwere really locked in and
focused and just kind of whatgrew from that?
Speaker 2 (10:22):
I think there's many examples in my life.
Like I said, I was like a robotand now I'm becoming human.
For most of my life, structurewas almost easy to maintain
because I was in a lot ofinstitutes or programs that
(10:43):
provided that structure.
It wasn't until I was no longerbasically holding someone's
hand to provide a little bit ofthat supplemental structure
where I was like, okay, I needto like really learn how to
implement other forms ofstructure in my life.
And so it wasn't until, like,honestly, I think the past
couple of years where my lifehonestly felt like the most
(11:06):
discombobulated and the mostunstructured it had ever been,
just because I was in a seasonof, like, full surrender, like,
okay, lord, like I know theplans and purpose you have for
my life, but right now it's notlooking like that's going to
open up.
And so, you know, workingmultiple jobs and going on
(11:27):
missions trips and just tryingto keep myself available, to
invest in community, invest infriends, and then just
deep-rooted personaltransformation and allowing
space to just dedicate time withthe Lord.
And so there was just a lot ofchange in a very short amount of
time.
Speaker 1 (11:45):
What if I don't really understand what that
means for myself right now?
What does structure look likethen?
Speaker 2 (11:51):
Yeah, I think it's challenging when you're trying
to frame structure solely aroundyour plans and purpose, right,
but I think it's challengingwhen you're trying to frame
structure solely around yourplans and purpose Right, but I
think the key structure that youcan do, no matter what as
you're exploring that, is tospend time with the Lord every
single day, and you can bestructured about that.
It doesn't have to be religious, but it can be something that
(12:12):
is embedded within your day today.
That will reap a lot ofdirection and a lot of fruit,
and I think that's ultimately nomatter what, even if you are
super clear about what it is Godhas for your life.
That is the number one prioritywhen it comes to structure.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
Yeah, I think what I was thinking about is really
just maintaining what it isyou're working towards right now
and, like you said,implementing more time with the
Lord.
That is intimate, and justreally seeking to know your
purpose.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
Continuing to press into the things the Lord wants
for you and just continuallypraying for the Lord to make it
clear to you what it is he iscalling of you Absolutely.
And going back to my responseto the question you asked me
like, even in the midst of themost chaotic seasons, keeping
and maintaining that structurewith the Lord, he will get you
through to the other side and itwill all make sense.
And that's how it was formyself and for our marriage In a
(13:18):
lot of instances where we'relike how's this going to work or
what's going to happen, or thisseems a little all over the
place, and we just stayedconsistent with the Lord and
made Him our structure in themidst of chaos and a lot of
fruit came from that.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
Yeah, and we didn't only stay consistent with Him,
but we had a community to backus up and really press into in
order for us to continue toremain on track and just show up
day in and day out for oneanother, for ourselves and for
the people around us.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
So how can we get practical with this?
Speaker 1 (13:54):
Yeah, so we're going to jump into calendarizing and
long-term planning.
So calendarizing is essentiallyjust color coding your calendar
.
We use Google calendars to makeit simple.
We color code the things thatare going to be consistent
within our life and the thingsthat we know are going to happen
week to week.
(14:15):
We input those even weeks aheadand also the things that may be
irregular.
We input those as well, notnecessarily super small tasks
that we're able to use on, likeGoogle Tasks or a different task
app in which we use.
You can download again, like Isaid, google Tasks and Google
(14:38):
Calendars, and that's a greatplace to start.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
Yeah, I'd say, like the average person, if they do
use a calendar, it's primarilyjust for appointments and things
that are.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
Bigger events or circumstances.
Speaker 2 (14:53):
Yeah, just like I really don't want to miss this,
right, but that's not what we'retalking about here.
Yeah, of course, put thosethings on the calendar, but
we're talking about from thetime you wake up to the time you
go to bed.
Write out what you're doingduring that time.
Yeah, that's just going toallow you to implement small
(15:14):
tasks every single day that willultimately get you to where you
want to go.
So, as an example, like a gymanalogy, right, like you go to
the gym once, you're not goingto necessarily hit all of your
long-term goals in that one gymsession, but if you go to the
gym consistently every you know,five days a week or something,
(15:35):
and you block that time out overtime, you're eventually going
to reach that goal.
That same mentality goes toevery other category of your
life.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
Financially, spiritually, physically.
Speaker 2 (15:46):
Emotionally.
Take time for yourself.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So not only calendarizing isimportant but really
understanding from week to weekwhat it is that you want to
accomplish.
And those are like bigger goalsthat you want to get done for
each week and differentappointments that need to be set
, different things that need toget done to ultimately help you
(16:13):
towards that bigger one month,three month, six month goal.
And it's really just beingdiligent day to day and just
really understanding where it isyou're taking yourself.
Speaker 2 (16:25):
And I think there's something that should be
discussed here, because for halfthe audience listening you
might be like, oh right, yeah, Iwant to jump into calendarizing
, and for the other half youmight just completely feel like
there's like a knot in yourstomach because calendarizing
scares you, and I know for a lotof people, like calendarizing
or planning in the future isdaunting and nerve wracking and
(16:47):
is not an exciting idea.
But we just want to say herethat calendarizing and having
structure in your life actuallyallows you more flexibility.
Ultimately, if something comesup and you need to adjust things
, you're fully aware of whatyou're adjusting and what you're
moving around, whereas ifyou're kind of more of like go
(17:07):
with the flow type person andsomething comes up, you don't
really know what you're shiftingand you don't really know what
those ramifications will be comethe next day or the following
day, if there's things that youreally need to attend to or make
priority.
But if you're fully aware ofyour tasks and the things you
want to accomplish and yourmicro goals from day to day,
then it's really easy to shiftthings around appropriately so
(17:29):
that you can still achieve thosethings but also make
accommodations for things thatcome up in life.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
Yeah, absolutely.
And going on to long-termplanning, it's really important
to understand the long-term goalfirst, because then you're able
to really work your waybackward.
Speaker 2 (17:50):
Yeah, as, like a little practical exercise with
this, we would recommend justpulling out Google Calendar and,
as we kind of pushed y'all in aprevious episode with listing
out all the things that you doon a given day, or all the
things you're passionate aboutand so forth, take a look at
that list or recreate it and, asan exercise, jot down what
(18:15):
you're doing every given hour orhalf hour of the day, so you
literally would write out I wakeup at this time, I spend time
with the Lord, I drink my coffee, I go for a run, I am at work
from nine to five.
After work, I'm driving, afterdriving, I you know whatever.
You list it out until your headhits the pillow.
(18:37):
And that might sound extreme,but the time that's not
accounted for is time that ismissed, right, and so it's not
that we are encouraging peopleto be like zombies and just
operate or death by calendar.
Right, death by calendar,whatever you want to call it.
(18:57):
We're just kind of saying like,hey, you need to let, you need
to take ownership and control insome regard of where you're
allocating your time, becausethis is going to allow you to
ultimately steward disciplineand self-control and not let
life, just, you know, swing youaround and you just kind of ebb
and flow based on who calls youor who wants to hang out or what
(19:19):
you feel like doing.
But when you have something seton a calendar, it holds you
accountable and that's whatallows you to start to implement
that discipline andself-control in your day to day.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
Yeah, and I don't think you necessarily have to do
every waking hour.
That might get a littledaunting in terms of when you
brush your teeth, when you drinka coffee, when you read a book
or whatever, but I think justbeginning with the larger things
that are taking up the majorityof your day will will benefit
(19:54):
you.
Taking up the majority of yourday will benefit you, and then
you can get in those minutedetails when you whittle down
your time in order to reallyhone in on the free moments you
do have, in order to incorporatesomething in that time, and
just make sure to take restperiods, make sure to just take
time for yourself, whether youlike reading books or watching a
(20:15):
show or whatever it may be.
Speaker 2 (20:19):
And this also just identifies, maybe, bad habits
that you didn't realize you had.
Like, oh, I spend three hours aday scrolling on Instagram.
I had no idea, so it actuallyreally helps you again.
Just instill thatself-discipline and kind of
eliminate all the things that,yeah, aren't good for you.
And if you always wanted toread books and you always and
(20:44):
you said you never had time to,now that you are going to use
calendar, you can dedicate 10-15minutes a day and for sure know
you'll get it done and thenyou'll be a book reader before
you know absolutely.
Speaker 1 (20:58):
and yeah, jumping over to Google Tasks, it's
really important to createdifferent sections and then
you're able to put in subtasksin those sections in order.
For myself, just because of thesimplicity of it, it's really
(21:27):
important to me that things aresimple, just because then I
don't overthink it and createway more structure within that
to then make it just not reallyunderstandable.
Yeah, just jumping to long-termplanning.
Yeah, just jumping to long-termplanning.
Speaker 2 (21:44):
Long-term planning is only able to be achieved when
you have a distant goal in mind,and I think, starting with that
(22:07):
distant goal and working yourway backwards will allow you to
think through more thoroughly ofall the things that it's going
to take and requires of you inorder to accomplish that goal.
An example of long-termplanning yeah, I, you know I'm
starting medical school in twoweeks from now, which is crazy
and I'm really excited.
But it didn't just happen andjust fall on my lap.
It was a process, right.
(22:27):
So in high school I knew that Iwanted to go to medical school,
so I applied as a pre-medstudent.
Speaker 1 (22:34):
And that's a big goal .
You don't just think of itovernight, and it just happens
right, then and there.
Speaker 2 (22:40):
Yeah, so, you know, go to college as a pre-med
student and then you take a lotof courses, a lot of science
courses, work really, reallyhard, and then you graduate
college as a pre-med student andthen you have to take the MCAT,
which is an eight hour exam.
That is, you know, veryexhausting, and you have to plan
(23:03):
for that and study for sixmonths, up to a year, and it has
to be considered like afull-time job.
So that takes a lot of planningand preparation.
And then you have to apply tomedical school, which takes a
whole year and it coststhousands of dollars, and that
takes a lot of planning andpreparation in writing a
(23:23):
personal statement and gettingyour letters of recommendation
and all the details.
And then you have to interviewfor schools, which requires
flying places and planning, andthen, if you do get accepted to
medical school, then that's fouryears of grueling, you know,
work and then, and then you'llbecome a doctor.
So how many years was that?
(23:44):
Like a decade.
Speaker 1 (23:47):
So but how did you come to understanding what was
behind applying to med schooland going to med school and
everything?
Speaker 2 (23:55):
you know, a lot of it was being curious and
surrounding myself around theright people and mentors that
led me and pointed me in theright direction, and also asking
the Lord for wisdom, to give methe grace and the patience to
move forward.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
Did you do a lot of research in the thing you wanted
to jump into?
Speaker 2 (24:19):
You know it's funny.
I honestly didn't even knowthat pre-med students took
organic chemistry.
I think a lot of it was justlike a big slap in the face.
But yeah, I think it's a lot oflearn as you go.
But again, you just keep thebig picture in mind.
You don't know all the minutedetails.
I didn't know how to study forthe MCAT or what that would
entail or all the money thatwould go into it.
(24:44):
But you just start with what youknow and you're diligent with
it and you're like all right,I'm in an immunology class, I'm
going to sit in this and workreally hard and do as best as I
can.
And then you go on to the nextthing and you're just diligent
in the thing that's set beforeyou, but you keep the end goal
in mind and you don't know allthe details, you don't know all
the steps, but you don't need toknow all the steps.
But I think, again, we talkabout knowing your plan, your
(25:04):
purpose, because God will revealthe details as you need to know
them along the way, and that'swhere faith comes in.
Speaker 1 (25:10):
Absolutely.
And one thing to really keep inmind and to understand is that
whatever the Lord's going tocall you into, it's going to be
sacrificial.
Really important to know that,whatever it is you're going to
be stepping into, it's going tobe sacrificial and it's not
going to be for your ownpersonal gain, but for God's
(25:33):
glory and for, ultimately, toprogress his kingdom.
Speaker 2 (25:38):
Yeah, that's really good.
And again, that's anotheridentifier.
Like does this build me up ordoes this build God up?
Speaker 1 (25:45):
when it comes to identifying your purpose, yeah,
and does this build me up ordoes it build others up?
And it's really important tokeep our eyes set on everyone
around us rather than ourselves.
Right To eliminate selfishdesire.
Eliminate selfish desire.
(26:12):
Yeah, so to end off here, wejust really want you to reach
out.
If you have any questions.
We want to answer anything youmay be confused about or may not
understand throughout thisepisode.
Just message us on Instagram aton track underscore official,
and you can find us there, andwe'd love to just chat with you
and give you further insightinto the things that were
discussed today.
Speaker 2 (26:32):
Absolutely yeah.
We thank you all for tuninginto this week's episode where
we discuss the value ofdiscipline and self control when
it came to diligently walkingout our purpose.
We dove into the power ofeliminating distractions and
implementing structure, and wegot practical on how to
calendarize effectively for thebest execution for your
short-term and long-term goals.
(26:54):
Come back next week as wecontinue our series of planning
for your purpose, where we willdiscuss how to expand and grow
in emotional intelligence.
And don't forget to check outagain our Instagram at on track
underscore official.
We hope you have such anincredible week ahead.
Popular Podcasts
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.