Almost 10 years ago, I started a practice of daily exercise that I call “fitness first.”
People often ask me how I keep it going.
One of the crucial components of my framework for a long-term consistent practice is flexibility.
If the body is too stiff and rigid, it will not move well, and may be more at risk of breaking a bone.
Similarly, tall buildings are designed to sway in the wind. This “give” actually makes them more stable and secure.
The structures of our lives require the same approach.
If my “fitness first” practice had been focused on running daily, or doing the same activity every day, it’s unlikely I would have lasted even 30 days.
A key element that makes my daily workout practice sustainable is that I introduce variety and flexibility in my approach.
In the bigger picture, the outcome is to connect with my body and move my body. If I find myself resisting a specific type of workout, I do something else.
Similarly, my other rules around my morning routine — such as no meetings before a certain time, or not going online — sometimes need to be adjusted.
A core lesson I’ve learned over the past decade is this:
The more layers of structure I put around any practice, the harder it becomes to sustain with love and ease.
This is true not only for my workouts, but also for my blog, meditation, and any other practice.
Every rule has exceptions. Every routine needs some flexibility.
Rules are made to be broken. Of course, if you make exceptions for everything, then there’s no point to the rule. And if you never allow exceptions, you might miss opportunities for connection and meaningful experiences that make life worth living.
In the Kabbalah Tree of Life journey, today’s attribute of Tiferet of Gevurah invites us to look at how we modulate our structures, routines, and restraint to create resilience and harmony in our lives.
In our routines, we might take the approach of “compassion within discipline,” as described by Marcus Freed in this book The Kabbalah Sutras(affiliate link).
Freed notes that this element is particularly challenging for high-achievers:
One of the biggest challenges for combining compassion with discipline is for ambitious people who hold high expectations for their own level of achievement. We can reprimand ourselves when we do not keep up with our daily goals and disciplines, but this is the time to practice some compassion towards ourselves. — Marcus Freed
Structures and routines help soothe the nervous system and give us a sense of safety. Children especially thrive on routine.
On the other hand, too much structure can feel oppressive and suffocating.
Today’s invitation is to look at where we are too rigid in our structures and where we are not imposing enough restraint.
The optimal level of structure might vary in any season of our lives. Finding this balance requires us to consistently attune to our lives and our circumstances and adjust how we approach structure and restraint.
[…] The Secret to Creating Resilient Routines […]