A Creative’s Guide to Discipline

For the scattered, passionate, purpose-filled souls who want to do it all — with God’s help

Listen to the blog:

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I’ve trapped myself into a 2 ft square space. The rest of the barn room is filled with canvases, cords, and colors; evidence of both inspiration and chaos. If someone walked in now, they’d probably diagnose me with ADD and stamp a big “P” on my ENFP label.

I am a mess.

Does it bother me? Not in the least.
Well… until I splatter paint on something I’ve already finished.

I do need more space.

This picture is ironic as we begin a new year. I am a mess. And yet, through the physical clutter and the mental clutter of this present day, there exists a mind and heart filled with ideas and thoughts of the future.

That is the tension I live in.

The Outside View

From the outside, looking into my world, one would think I lack discipline. Or maybe that I am incapable of it.

But that isn’t true.

The paintings piled against the wall, the tools scattered on every surface, tubes large and small—acrylic and oil, transparent and opaque, are a not-so-subtle depiction of all the things in this life I still want to do, experience, or accomplish.

In the coming year, and the coming decade, I want to get the most out of every molecular cell of energy I have in me.

To do that will absolutely require discipline.

And for people like me, discipline doesn’t mean becoming less passionate.

It means learning how to focus what God has already placed inside us.

What Does Discipline Look Like for Someone Like Me?

What does discipline look like for a scattered, intense, messy, focused, energetic, tired, and hopeful soul?

My husband would vehemently oppose my process or methodology per se, but it is on auto-pilot, and honestly, it works for me.

(Only me. Not the other people I share life, space, and goals with.)

I know there are more people in the world who look this way from the outside, but you may not have learned yet how to harness this superpower that I call perfected discipline.

For years I’ve wrestled with this tension: how do I live out all this purpose and passion without burning out…or losing sight of God in the process?

I’ve learned I don’t need less passion. I need a different kind of discipline.

So here it is.
A lesson in discipline.

We have a lot going on in our hearts and heads. It’s cluttered. It’s messy. But it is wonderful. I am thankful to have a full well of ideas and desires that I can probably never get to in this lifetime.

It surely beats the alternative.

So, I embrace it.

But I have to organize my discipline in categories.

As Simple as A, B, and C

A. Which Painting Do I Want to Tackle?

(Which hobby, activity, work skill, or calling do I want to focus on right now?)
Put it in priority order.
Or at least pick your top three.

B. Which Tools Are Needed to Create This Masterpiece?

For me, that means my health and mobility. I need the tool of my body and mind to be strong enough to do the things I feel called to do, and preferably to do them well.

C. What Mediums Do I Need to Help Me?

I recognize that my own special version of discipline is still a fruit of the Spirit.
I need help.
And I am thankful that the Holy Spirit meets the needs and characteristics of the person God created, not the person I think I should be.

That’s it.
As simple as A, B, and C.

The Prioritizing of Purpose

In the clutter and chaos of all there is left to do in this life, I have to prioritize.

This is the hardest part for me.

I am forever loving whatever I am doing in the moment and wanting more time to do that.

Then, when forced to switch due to commitments, I move on to the next thing.

The next thing…like my job.

I love my job. It is a true God-calling. I think He chose it for me because He knew I want to experience every type of business, role, and challenge.

As a business coach, I am so thankful for the clients who let me be a small participant in their story. When I work with business owners on their dreams, I love it. I want more time doing it.

Then a counseling client walks in.

When I have the opportunity to do counseling or life coaching, I am reminded how enriching it is. What an honor to be invited into so many lives and stories.

Then the weekend arrives.

Saturday morning comes, and I race through my rituals to hit the barn. I am ready to start a new painting, more than finishing an old one. My heart begins to race. A blank canvas. Unlimited imagination.

And when Sunday evening comes, I wish I had more time.
I only want to do this.

So, How Do You Choose?

How do we pick what we will spend our time on and allow ourselves enough time, space, and practice to embody it, master it, and do it well?

This is the hardest part.

But I have learned this: once you choose, passion, purpose, and calling begin to create discipline.

Not the other way around.

A Simple Reflection

A. The Focus

Which “painting” is God inviting you to work on in this season?
Not everything. Not forever. Just now.

Journal:

What is the one pursuit, role, or calling that keeps rising to the surface of my heart?

The Tools for the Job

We all need different tools. For me, I am my most needed one.

That means I need to stay healthy.

I have a special concoction of autoimmune and inflammation-related issues, so I’ve been on an anti-inflammatory eating protocol for three years now.

No grains. No dairy. No soy. No added sugar.

Which means no cake, no ice cream, no cheeseburgers on a bun dripping with ketchup.

Pain is a powerful motivator.

Urgency creates discipline.

Strength Training and True Motivation

I started exercising 12–13 years ago and stayed fairly consistent.

Because I got tired of my back going out over normal life things.

Now it rarely happens.

Purpose creates discipline.
Discipline maintains health.

A Simple Reflection

B. The Tools

What do you need in order to show up well?
Think body, mind, energy, boundaries.

Journal:

What is currently draining my ability to do what I feel called to do?
What would it look like to care for myself as a tool God is using?

Discipline Is Not Ours Alone

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace… and self-control.”
— Galatians 5:22–23

Discipline is doing what we need to do even when we don’t want to.

But we need help.

“Remain in me… apart from me you can do nothing.”
— John 15:4–5

Thank God we have God.

Oil Paint, Mediums, and the Holy Spirit

There are mediums that speed things up. Others slow them down. Some thin the paint. Some thicken it.

It is amazing what you can do with a little help.

The Holy Spirit is an all-purpose medium.

If we stay connected, He provides what we need to finish what we’ve started.

A Simple Reflection

C. The Help

Where do you need the Holy Spirit to meet you?
Not with pressure…but with help.

Journal:

What help am I resisting or forgetting to ask for?
What might change if I trusted God to supply the discipline I lack?

To the Scattered, Life-Loving Human

If you are the scattered, life-loving, productivity-needing human, I hope this lesson in discipline helps.

Maybe the question isn’t “How do I become more disciplined?”

Maybe it’s simply this:
What is the one thing God is asking me to focus on right now, and what help might He want to give me to do it?

After all, it is a new year.