May 7, 2025 • 20 mins
Discipline – a word often associated with restriction and limitation – actually unlocks profound emotional freedom when properly understood and applied. Drawing from personal experiences in bodybuilding, professional transitions, and even while traveling, I explore how initial discipline transforms into liberating habits that enhance rather than constrain our lives.
This transformation from discipline to habit creates the foundation for emotional freedom. When I worked a demanding job with an unpredictable commute, meal prepping habits eliminated decision fatigue, saved money, and maintained my health despite challenging circumstances.
Similarly, when traveling, having protein powder shipped ahead, bringing my coffee setup, or finding accommodations with kitchens aren't signs of restriction but strategies that allow me to be fully present and engaged. The freedom comes from addressing physical needs proactively so I can focus on experiences rather than discomfort.
The key insight? Do the work upfront so your future self can thrive without unnecessary struggle. Discipline isn't about limitation – it's preparation for freedom.
Connect with Me
Instagram: www.instagram.com/tianasmindandmoves
Website: unbreakablemindandbody.com
Email: info@unbreakablemb.com
Download your Free 5-Min Pre-Workout Guide:
https://tiana-gonzalez.mykajabi.com/likeyoumeanit
Disclaimer: This show is for education and entertainment purposes only. This is not intended as a replacement for therapy. Please seek out the help of a professional to assist you with your specific situation.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
Welcome to the Unbreakable Mind and Body
podcast.
I am your host, tiana Gonzalez,a multi-passionate, creative
storyteller and entrepreneurwith a fierce love for movement.
This is our space for powerfulstories and actionable
strategies to help you buildmental resilience and elevate
(00:28):
your self-care practice.
Together, we will unlock thetools that you need to create an
unbreakable mind and body.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Welcome back to the show.
I am your host, tiana, and onthis episode I am going to share
with you my beliefs around howdiscipline and focus can create
emotional freedom in your life.
Now I'm just getting back frombeing away out of pocket in the
(01:01):
woods of Tennessee for a week inthe woods of Tennessee for a
week.
It is a riveting experiencethat I immerse myself in with
like-minded individuals that arefocused on various skills of
fitness and becoming better, notonly physically, but mentally
and emotionally.
For most of the staff, we'vebeen there before, so it's a
(01:25):
reconnection with our friends,who we probably hadn't seen
since the previous camp.
And for the campers, some ofthem are returning campers and
some of them are new, and soit's this amazing experience,
and I will tell you that, asamazing as it is, I am also very
(01:45):
happy to be back home and to beback into my groove and into my
routine.
Now, when I travel, I will tellyou I typically do a ton of
work upfront, and that isbecause, in order for me to be
my best self, to be present andin the moment and to be open to
(02:09):
all of the various experiencesthat I am putting myself into
while I'm traveling.
There are a couple of thingsthat I need as my baseline in
order to make sure that I am thebest taken care of, the best
equipped, the most relaxed andthat I feel great.
And some of those things maysound crazy to other people who
(02:33):
work very diligently so thatthey can completely let things
go while they're on vacation.
But before I get into whatthose nuanced things are and
what those very specific thingsare, I first want to explain a
little bit more to you aboutdiscipline and focus and how.
(02:55):
In the beginning.
Yeah, when you're on anendeavor let's say you are in a
sport or you're trying to loseweight let's make it real simple
.
Let's make it a simple weightloss goal.
Or you're trying to lose weight, let's make it real simple.
Let's make it a simple weightloss goal.
You're trying to lose weightand you're somebody who doesn't
go to the gym.
Well then, obviously, the firstthing that's going to have to
change in your life is you'regoing to have to come up with a
(03:18):
gym that you enjoy going to andthe number of times you're going
to go there per week.
From there, with the help of aqualified professional like a
personal trainer or a coach, youcan then work backwards to
figure out a program that'sgoing to be the right dose for
(03:38):
you.
Now, if this is completely newto you, then, yeah, it's going
to be a fucking grind in thebeginning, because this is new.
These are changes that maybeyou're not naturally inclined to
start making.
But either you've had a wake-upcall, you've had a health scare
(03:59):
, or you're realizing that youwant to feel better as you age,
and the gateway to a healthy andthriving older age and
longevity place is throughworking out, more specifically
through lifting weights.
But I'm not going to nitpickhere.
(04:19):
So if you're somebody whodoesn't move at all, then I'm
encouraging you to find thatthing that you enjoy doing, that
you feel like you can play andyou're still moving and getting
a nice flow, getting your heartrate up, sweating, moving around
, and then start from there.
Where things change is when youfind those things that you
(04:45):
enjoy and you have the rightdose of what you need and what
you want, and those two thingscome together, it becomes
routine.
And once something becomes yourroutine, it's not as much of a
grind, it doesn't feel asdifficult as it did on the first
(05:09):
day.
So that's when it becomes morehabitual and you can be more
consistent.
This is similar to a lot of theday-to-day tasks that you
participate in that are justsecond nature for you now, but
at one point in time probablywhen you were much younger or
when you were a little kid let'ssay, learning how to tie your
(05:32):
shoes or brush your teeth thosewere things that you had to
learn.
Now it's not always aboutthings that you learn as a kid,
because I work with a ton ofamazing adults who are new to
certain components or certainaspects of weight training,
(05:54):
watching their nutrition andworking on a very specific goal
with me.
One of my clients is actuallyafter taking a sabbatical.
She's going to be returning tothe workforce.
She's starting a new job inabout two months and we've been
talking a lot throughout all ofour sessions, ramping up,
(06:17):
gearing up, mentally, preparingher, because I knew that this
day was coming soon.
When she told me she wasinterviewing, I said all right,
well, we've got to get you to aplace where you're not relying
on me as much.
Now this person sees me twice aweek in the gym and I am
(06:38):
definitely going to miss her.
I'm hoping that we can at leastmeet once in person and then I
could write her program for herfor the other days that she's
going to be working out on herown.
Now, even in the language I'musing when I meet with her, I'm
not giving her the option.
I'm saying when you'recommuting and you're going to go
(06:59):
to that other location that thesame company has but it's
closer to your job, these arethe things that we're going to
do, so it will be more of avirtual relationship.
I won't be there physicallywith you, but you're still going
to follow the things that Itell you to do.
And as I'm repeating thislanguage over and, over and over
(07:22):
, I'm talking about over thecourse of the last few months
it's become ingrained in her andit's now a part of her
intentions for when she startsthis new job.
This is someone with anautoimmune who did not work out
consistently until probablyabout seven months ago when we
(07:46):
met and she decided I need totake better control and work
with a qualified professional toget my body into a certain
place, to feel stronger and toprevent another autoimmune
flare-up.
To prevent another autoimmuneflare-up.
(08:10):
So during our session today now, I told you I just got back
from being away at camp so Ihadn't seen her.
She had homework to do while Iwas out, and today we met up for
the first time in over a weekand she fills me in on
everything, and then she saysokay, here are a list of a few
things that I want to focus onas we are ramping up before I
start the new job, and then,once my schedule changes, we'll
(08:32):
just keep it going.
Ladies and gentlemen, I triednot to overreact in that moment,
but the amount of pride that Ifelt.
This is a person that I had totwist her arm to try protein
powder.
When we first started workingtogether, she was so skeptical
(08:55):
after hearing a lot of fearmongering and seeing different
articles whether they wereactual publications, medical
publications or just fake newsor from AI but she had heard
various things about consumingtoo much protein and how it
could be damaging, and so wewent through this whole
(09:15):
conversation, and it took me awhile to get her to buy in, for
her to show up at the sessiontoday with a list of three
things that she thought of onher own.
These were not prompted, thesewere not provoked.
These were her ideas that shecame to me with and said this is
(09:37):
what I want to focus on for thenext two months before I start
my new full-time job, and thenthese are the things that we're
going to continue to focus ononce I start the job.
That's amazing.
So where am I going with thiswhole story?
Well, this goes back to havingdiscipline.
(09:57):
It's going to be a challenge forher to go back to work
full-time as is.
She has two kids, she has apartner, she has
responsibilities in the home,she has other family obligations
and now everybody's kind ofgotten used to her being home.
She's going to make a switch up.
She's going back to workfull-time and she has a bit of a
(10:19):
commute.
She's going back to work fulltime and she has a bit of a
commute.
So she's got to prepareeveryone at home and I've got to
get her prepared.
And one of the things that Ithink is just so incredible
about this transformation is themindset she went from me having
to convince her to take proteinpowder to.
(10:41):
I want to complete these thingsand work on them and make a
commitment, and I'm going tokeep the items that she had
listed out private becauseobviously I have to protect my
clients and their you know theirexperiences.
But the moral of the story isthree bullet items.
(11:01):
I tried not to overreact in themoment and I was so proud of
her and so excited that she cameto me and said these are what I
want to work on over the nexttwo months.
Now, in the beginning she'sgoing to have to use a lot of
discipline because these are newfor her.
(11:22):
There are things we've talkedabout, there are things she's
heard me say, there's thingsthat there was things on this
list that she knows areparamount for her to be
successful with her healthjourney, with thriving as she
gets older and with feeling goodin this new role where she's in
(11:44):
a leadership position and she'sworking in a very niche
industry in the medical field.
And so, yeah, in the beginningit's going to be really hard.
She's going to have to lean inon that discipline and do things
on days she doesn't want to andget ahead of the things.
(12:05):
So when we're talking abouthealth and wellness goals,
discipline is required in thebeginning because these are new
things.
For example, if you're someonewho eats out often and you
really want to get a hold ofyour health, then it would
behoove you to learn how to cookand to cook at home at least
(12:30):
50%, if not 75%, of your meals,especially if you're someone who
eats out often.
Now to do that and to do itsuccessfully and to do it
efficiently.
Well, now we can talk aboutfood preparation, which is a
little bit different than justpreparing your lunch when you're
ready to eat it, and preparingyour dinner Like this is like
(12:50):
you know the old days, when Iwas a kid in the eighties.
Everything was freshly made onthe stove right before you ate
it.
Rarely did you have leftovers.
So she's going to have to learnall of these things and
eventually it will become secondnature.
This type of thing helped me outmany times, particularly the
(13:17):
last time that I went into afull-time, nine to five type of
role in the constructionindustry at the beginning of
2023.
I bought a new, cooler bag.
I got new containers and Iremember leaning on my old
bodybuilding lifestyle habitsprepping my food one day a week
(13:43):
lifestyle habits Prepping myfood one day a week, weighing my
portions, packing it out aheadof time.
So in my refrigerator, when youwould open it, there would be
several containers that hadthings such as a lean protein, a
complex carbohydrate and avegetable already weighed out
and ready to go, sometimes withpost-its on it that said exactly
what was in there.
This way, it took the guessingwork out of it when it was time
(14:06):
for me to eat and it would saveme time each morning because I
had a grueling commute to JFKInternational Airport which was
sometimes 45 minutes andsometimes two hours.
For some people that I workedwith.
They would say things like wow,you have so much discipline to
pack your food every day, tocook like two nights a week or
(14:30):
one weekend day, and thenanother day in the middle of the
week.
You have so much discipline,you're so focused.
For me it didn't feel like Ineeded discipline or I had
discipline.
These were habits, these werethings I was already doing.
I just needed to revisit it andit saved my ass, because you
probably are aware that mostairport food is absurdly
(14:54):
expensive and very poor quality,very low quality.
So I spared my waistline and mywallet by bringing my own food
every single day.
I could count on one hand howmany times I did not bring my
lunch with me and I suffered onthose days.
Now, another example wherehaving discipline from my
(15:19):
bodybuilding days really helpedto support me in thriving this
is what I was talking about atthe beginning of this episode is
when I travel.
Being away at camp is a goodexample.
We are supported.
We are.
Our food is prepared for us bythis incredible company.
The food is delicious, but it'snot necessarily the kind of
(15:42):
food I would make at home.
Not all of the food.
Some of it, yes, a lot of it,no, and that's neither good nor
bad.
It's a neutral.
Also, the cafeteria mealtimesare not the same as when I eat
on my own schedule when I'm home.
So I learned after my first camp, after my second camp, some
(16:05):
little nuanced things that Icould do myself to make myself
have a better experience, tokeep my energy more even
throughout the day, so that Iwouldn't feel a sudden crash or
these crazy hunger cues thatcould also make me irritable and
unpleasant to be around.
I have my little tricks.
(16:26):
For example, I would haveprotein powder shipped to the
camp ahead of the time.
I also brought my own coffeeand a French press from home.
I am very much a coffee lover.
I only have it once a day, butit needs to be something that
really touches my soul.
The other thing that I do is Iwill sometimes take food from
(16:51):
breakfast and wrap it, bring itback to my room.
We had a mini fridge and Iwould save it for in between the
meals so that I wouldn't crashor that I wouldn't be starving
or I wouldn't overeat at thenext opportunity when we had
meal again.
These are things that I justlearned over time.
To an outsider they might say,wow, you're so disciplined.
To me it's a habit.
(17:19):
It feels a little bit like home.
It gives me a little moreautonomy and control and
therefore I'm nicer, and whenI'm nicer, everyone around me
has a better experience, becausethat's just the way it is.
When I travel other places, Iprefer to find a place that has
a kitchen so that I could eithergo grocery shopping or have a
grocery delivery service broughtto the room.
(17:41):
I love to just do my own thingwith breakfast you already know
about the coffee and alsosometimes lunch.
Again, it's about making surethat I feel good so that I can
then be present and engaged andenergized and not stressed.
I have a sensitive stomach, soI want to make sure that I'm
(18:02):
eating things that make me feelgood and that fuel my lifestyle.
The other thing I do mostvacations is find a local gym,
try to get a week pass or aweekend pass, make sure that I
can get some movement in.
And yeah, if you go somewherewarm, you could run outside or
go to the beach.
But I like my strength trainingand I like to try to hit the
(18:23):
gym at least a few times, if notevery day, to make sure that
I'm staying on track.
Again, this is my happy place.
This is where I unplug, this iswhere I de-stress and it makes
me feel good.
So, people, having discipline,it's really just about what's
(18:45):
important to you or to thatperson and how you're going to
navigate that.
There is a fine line betweenhaving discipline, or
maintaining your habits, andbeing a bit obsessive, and it's
case by case and it's individualby individual.
It's not fair for me to judgeanyone else and it's not fair
(19:06):
for you to judge anyone else orfor anyone else to judge you.
So when you're startingsomething new, it's going to
feel like a grind, but doing itconsistently, doing it even on
the days when you don't want todoing it repeatedly, you're
(19:26):
creating a better experience forthe future version of you.
So when you think about it thatway and you do something
upfront, you do the work upfrontso that future you can have an
easier life.
That's the discipline, that'sthe focus and that's the habit.
(19:50):
You do the work upfront so youhave the freedom down the
discipline.
That's the focus and that's thehabit.
You do the work up front so youhave the freedom down the road.
If you enjoyed this episode,please do me a solid and follow
the show so that you can getnotified when the next episode
is published.
I appreciate your time andattention.
I hope you found this helpfuland, as always, I'll see you on
(20:12):
the next one.
Welcome to the Unbreakable Mind and Body
podcast.
I am your host, tiana Gonzalez,a multi-passionate, creative
storyteller and entrepreneurwith a fierce love for movement.
This is our space for powerfulstories and actionable
strategies to help you buildmental resilience and elevate
(00:28):
your self-care practice.
Together, we will unlock thetools that you need to create an
unbreakable mind and body.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Welcome back to the show.
I am your host, tiana, and onthis episode I am going to share
with you my beliefs around howdiscipline and focus can create
emotional freedom in your life.
Now I'm just getting back frombeing away out of pocket in the
(01:01):
woods of Tennessee for a week inthe woods of Tennessee for a
week.
It is a riveting experiencethat I immerse myself in with
like-minded individuals that arefocused on various skills of
fitness and becoming better, notonly physically, but mentally
and emotionally.
For most of the staff, we'vebeen there before, so it's a
(01:25):
reconnection with our friends,who we probably hadn't seen
since the previous camp.
And for the campers, some ofthem are returning campers and
some of them are new, and soit's this amazing experience,
and I will tell you that, asamazing as it is, I am also very
(01:45):
happy to be back home and to beback into my groove and into my
routine.
Now, when I travel, I will tellyou I typically do a ton of
work upfront, and that isbecause, in order for me to be
my best self, to be present andin the moment and to be open to
(02:09):
all of the various experiencesthat I am putting myself into
while I'm traveling.
There are a couple of thingsthat I need as my baseline in
order to make sure that I am thebest taken care of, the best
equipped, the most relaxed andthat I feel great.
And some of those things maysound crazy to other people who
(02:33):
work very diligently so thatthey can completely let things
go while they're on vacation.
But before I get into whatthose nuanced things are and
what those very specific thingsare, I first want to explain a
little bit more to you aboutdiscipline and focus and how.
(02:55):
In the beginning.
Yeah, when you're on anendeavor let's say you are in a
sport or you're trying to loseweight let's make it real simple
.
Let's make it a simple weightloss goal.
Or you're trying to lose weight, let's make it real simple.
Let's make it a simple weightloss goal.
You're trying to lose weightand you're somebody who doesn't
go to the gym.
Well then, obviously, the firstthing that's going to have to
change in your life is you'regoing to have to come up with a
(03:18):
gym that you enjoy going to andthe number of times you're going
to go there per week.
From there, with the help of aqualified professional like a
personal trainer or a coach, youcan then work backwards to
figure out a program that'sgoing to be the right dose for
(03:38):
you.
Now, if this is completely newto you, then, yeah, it's going
to be a fucking grind in thebeginning, because this is new.
These are changes that maybeyou're not naturally inclined to
start making.
But either you've had a wake-upcall, you've had a health scare
(03:59):
, or you're realizing that youwant to feel better as you age,
and the gateway to a healthy andthriving older age and
longevity place is throughworking out, more specifically
through lifting weights.
But I'm not going to nitpickhere.
(04:19):
So if you're somebody whodoesn't move at all, then I'm
encouraging you to find thatthing that you enjoy doing, that
you feel like you can play andyou're still moving and getting
a nice flow, getting your heartrate up, sweating, moving around
, and then start from there.
Where things change is when youfind those things that you
(04:45):
enjoy and you have the rightdose of what you need and what
you want, and those two thingscome together, it becomes
routine.
And once something becomes yourroutine, it's not as much of a
grind, it doesn't feel asdifficult as it did on the first
(05:09):
day.
So that's when it becomes morehabitual and you can be more
consistent.
This is similar to a lot of theday-to-day tasks that you
participate in that are justsecond nature for you now, but
at one point in time probablywhen you were much younger or
when you were a little kid let'ssay, learning how to tie your
(05:32):
shoes or brush your teeth thosewere things that you had to
learn.
Now it's not always aboutthings that you learn as a kid,
because I work with a ton ofamazing adults who are new to
certain components or certainaspects of weight training,
(05:54):
watching their nutrition andworking on a very specific goal
with me.
One of my clients is actuallyafter taking a sabbatical.
She's going to be returning tothe workforce.
She's starting a new job inabout two months and we've been
talking a lot throughout all ofour sessions, ramping up,
(06:17):
gearing up, mentally, preparingher, because I knew that this
day was coming soon.
When she told me she wasinterviewing, I said all right,
well, we've got to get you to aplace where you're not relying
on me as much.
Now this person sees me twice aweek in the gym and I am
(06:38):
definitely going to miss her.
I'm hoping that we can at leastmeet once in person and then I
could write her program for herfor the other days that she's
going to be working out on herown.
Now, even in the language I'musing when I meet with her, I'm
not giving her the option.
I'm saying when you'recommuting and you're going to go
(06:59):
to that other location that thesame company has but it's
closer to your job, these arethe things that we're going to
do, so it will be more of avirtual relationship.
I won't be there physicallywith you, but you're still going
to follow the things that Itell you to do.
And as I'm repeating thislanguage over and, over and over
(07:22):
, I'm talking about over thecourse of the last few months
it's become ingrained in her andit's now a part of her
intentions for when she startsthis new job.
This is someone with anautoimmune who did not work out
consistently until probablyabout seven months ago when we
(07:46):
met and she decided I need totake better control and work
with a qualified professional toget my body into a certain
place, to feel stronger and toprevent another autoimmune
flare-up.
To prevent another autoimmuneflare-up.
(08:10):
So during our session today now, I told you I just got back
from being away at camp so Ihadn't seen her.
She had homework to do while Iwas out, and today we met up for
the first time in over a weekand she fills me in on
everything, and then she saysokay, here are a list of a few
things that I want to focus onas we are ramping up before I
start the new job, and then,once my schedule changes, we'll
(08:32):
just keep it going.
Ladies and gentlemen, I triednot to overreact in that moment,
but the amount of pride that Ifelt.
This is a person that I had totwist her arm to try protein
powder.
When we first started workingtogether, she was so skeptical
(08:55):
after hearing a lot of fearmongering and seeing different
articles whether they wereactual publications, medical
publications or just fake newsor from AI but she had heard
various things about consumingtoo much protein and how it
could be damaging, and so wewent through this whole
(09:15):
conversation, and it took me awhile to get her to buy in, for
her to show up at the sessiontoday with a list of three
things that she thought of onher own.
These were not prompted, thesewere not provoked.
These were her ideas that shecame to me with and said this is
(09:37):
what I want to focus on for thenext two months before I start
my new full-time job, and thenthese are the things that we're
going to continue to focus ononce I start the job.
That's amazing.
So where am I going with thiswhole story?
Well, this goes back to havingdiscipline.
(09:57):
It's going to be a challenge forher to go back to work
full-time as is.
She has two kids, she has apartner, she has
responsibilities in the home,she has other family obligations
and now everybody's kind ofgotten used to her being home.
She's going to make a switch up.
She's going back to workfull-time and she has a bit of a
(10:19):
commute.
She's going back to work fulltime and she has a bit of a
commute.
So she's got to prepareeveryone at home and I've got to
get her prepared.
And one of the things that Ithink is just so incredible
about this transformation is themindset she went from me having
to convince her to take proteinpowder to.
(10:41):
I want to complete these thingsand work on them and make a
commitment, and I'm going tokeep the items that she had
listed out private becauseobviously I have to protect my
clients and their you know theirexperiences.
But the moral of the story isthree bullet items.
(11:01):
I tried not to overreact in themoment and I was so proud of
her and so excited that she cameto me and said these are what I
want to work on over the nexttwo months.
Now, in the beginning she'sgoing to have to use a lot of
discipline because these are newfor her.
(11:22):
There are things we've talkedabout, there are things she's
heard me say, there's thingsthat there was things on this
list that she knows areparamount for her to be
successful with her healthjourney, with thriving as she
gets older and with feeling goodin this new role where she's in
(11:44):
a leadership position and she'sworking in a very niche
industry in the medical field.
And so, yeah, in the beginningit's going to be really hard.
She's going to have to lean inon that discipline and do things
on days she doesn't want to andget ahead of the things.
(12:05):
So when we're talking abouthealth and wellness goals,
discipline is required in thebeginning because these are new
things.
For example, if you're someonewho eats out often and you
really want to get a hold ofyour health, then it would
behoove you to learn how to cookand to cook at home at least
(12:30):
50%, if not 75%, of your meals,especially if you're someone who
eats out often.
Now to do that and to do itsuccessfully and to do it
efficiently.
Well, now we can talk aboutfood preparation, which is a
little bit different than justpreparing your lunch when you're
ready to eat it, and preparingyour dinner Like this is like
(12:50):
you know the old days, when Iwas a kid in the eighties.
Everything was freshly made onthe stove right before you ate
it.
Rarely did you have leftovers.
So she's going to have to learnall of these things and
eventually it will become secondnature.
This type of thing helped me outmany times, particularly the
(13:17):
last time that I went into afull-time, nine to five type of
role in the constructionindustry at the beginning of
2023.
I bought a new, cooler bag.
I got new containers and Iremember leaning on my old
bodybuilding lifestyle habitsprepping my food one day a week
(13:43):
lifestyle habits Prepping myfood one day a week, weighing my
portions, packing it out aheadof time.
So in my refrigerator, when youwould open it, there would be
several containers that hadthings such as a lean protein, a
complex carbohydrate and avegetable already weighed out
and ready to go, sometimes withpost-its on it that said exactly
what was in there.
This way, it took the guessingwork out of it when it was time
(14:06):
for me to eat and it would saveme time each morning because I
had a grueling commute to JFKInternational Airport which was
sometimes 45 minutes andsometimes two hours.
For some people that I workedwith.
They would say things like wow,you have so much discipline to
pack your food every day, tocook like two nights a week or
(14:30):
one weekend day, and thenanother day in the middle of the
week.
You have so much discipline,you're so focused.
For me it didn't feel like Ineeded discipline or I had
discipline.
These were habits, these werethings I was already doing.
I just needed to revisit it andit saved my ass, because you
probably are aware that mostairport food is absurdly
(14:54):
expensive and very poor quality,very low quality.
So I spared my waistline and mywallet by bringing my own food
every single day.
I could count on one hand howmany times I did not bring my
lunch with me and I suffered onthose days.
Now, another example wherehaving discipline from my
(15:19):
bodybuilding days really helpedto support me in thriving this
is what I was talking about atthe beginning of this episode is
when I travel.
Being away at camp is a goodexample.
We are supported.
We are.
Our food is prepared for us bythis incredible company.
The food is delicious, but it'snot necessarily the kind of
(15:42):
food I would make at home.
Not all of the food.
Some of it, yes, a lot of it,no, and that's neither good nor
bad.
It's a neutral.
Also, the cafeteria mealtimesare not the same as when I eat
on my own schedule when I'm home.
So I learned after my first camp, after my second camp, some
(16:05):
little nuanced things that Icould do myself to make myself
have a better experience, tokeep my energy more even
throughout the day, so that Iwouldn't feel a sudden crash or
these crazy hunger cues thatcould also make me irritable and
unpleasant to be around.
I have my little tricks.
(16:26):
For example, I would haveprotein powder shipped to the
camp ahead of the time.
I also brought my own coffeeand a French press from home.
I am very much a coffee lover.
I only have it once a day, butit needs to be something that
really touches my soul.
The other thing that I do is Iwill sometimes take food from
(16:51):
breakfast and wrap it, bring itback to my room.
We had a mini fridge and Iwould save it for in between the
meals so that I wouldn't crashor that I wouldn't be starving
or I wouldn't overeat at thenext opportunity when we had
meal again.
These are things that I justlearned over time.
To an outsider they might say,wow, you're so disciplined.
To me it's a habit.
(17:19):
It feels a little bit like home.
It gives me a little moreautonomy and control and
therefore I'm nicer, and whenI'm nicer, everyone around me
has a better experience, becausethat's just the way it is.
When I travel other places, Iprefer to find a place that has
a kitchen so that I could eithergo grocery shopping or have a
grocery delivery service broughtto the room.
(17:41):
I love to just do my own thingwith breakfast you already know
about the coffee and alsosometimes lunch.
Again, it's about making surethat I feel good so that I can
then be present and engaged andenergized and not stressed.
I have a sensitive stomach, soI want to make sure that I'm
(18:02):
eating things that make me feelgood and that fuel my lifestyle.
The other thing I do mostvacations is find a local gym,
try to get a week pass or aweekend pass, make sure that I
can get some movement in.
And yeah, if you go somewherewarm, you could run outside or
go to the beach.
But I like my strength trainingand I like to try to hit the
(18:23):
gym at least a few times, if notevery day, to make sure that
I'm staying on track.
Again, this is my happy place.
This is where I unplug, this iswhere I de-stress and it makes
me feel good.
So, people, having discipline,it's really just about what's
(18:45):
important to you or to thatperson and how you're going to
navigate that.
There is a fine line betweenhaving discipline, or
maintaining your habits, andbeing a bit obsessive, and it's
case by case and it's individualby individual.
It's not fair for me to judgeanyone else and it's not fair
(19:06):
for you to judge anyone else orfor anyone else to judge you.
So when you're startingsomething new, it's going to
feel like a grind, but doing itconsistently, doing it even on
the days when you don't want todoing it repeatedly, you're
(19:26):
creating a better experience forthe future version of you.
So when you think about it thatway and you do something
upfront, you do the work upfrontso that future you can have an
easier life.
That's the discipline, that'sthe focus and that's the habit.
(19:50):
You do the work upfront so youhave the freedom down the
discipline.
That's the focus and that's thehabit.
You do the work up front so youhave the freedom down the road.
If you enjoyed this episode,please do me a solid and follow
the show so that you can getnotified when the next episode
is published.
I appreciate your time andattention.
I hope you found this helpfuland, as always, I'll see you on
(20:12):
the next one.
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