Happiness is a Discipline

My big boy goes to a school that is very strict about absolutely everything.  I suppose it is teaching kids about certain aspects of life that cannot be circumvented.  If someone is late, there is a tardy slip to fill out, only the child goes to class, and the parent goes home making sure not to be late again.  Early in the morning before school begins they have the Morning Mile, kids run around a track 10 times and get a necklace with a foot, every ten gets another foot.  I think it is as much for the parents to get there early, as it is for the kids to learn about health, working for something, and getting the energy out before sitting down to listen in class.

Today I had odds and ends to take care of at the office, and noticed there was a meeting about something I knew nothing about, so I finished all my stuff and went over to ask for a booklet.  She told me very sternly that I had to be in the meeting from the beginning to get the book, and there will be more meetings in the future.  It did annoy me a bit, I get it, this is the way the world works in most places, the meeting was about the future of the kids in different schools, my kid is in Kindergarten, so I have time.  I did run into a fellow mom and asked her about it, and she told me that some middle schools are hard to get into, so you have to try, and you get points when they reject you, and you want to get many points, OY! The system of things in the world drives me nuts.

I am blessed to be in a go with the flow field, I have good relationships with people that could substitute me, and especially when I work with moms and pregnant women, if something doesn’t work out, I say no problem, and use that time for something I need to do.  Our family schedule just got a little busier for me, my husband’s schedule has changed, so now I am arranging the day with babysitters, my work, taking kids to and from school, and I love it, feeling so grateful.

So discipline, rules, and strict guidelines have their place, it is important to get places on time, respecting other peoples time and organizing your own day in a structured, no stress flow.  I love that the word discipline can mean so many things, playing piano, martial arts, and many other things are disciplines.  They take focus, time, energy, and commitment and so does being happy.

I had an amazing conversation with my client this morning about happiness, and she said in Judaism it is a Mitzva.  It is a commandment to live happily, do things with happiness, and to be grateful.  Thanks to my family and upbringing, this is a natural state of being for me.  I would like to inspire everybody out there to think of happiness as a discipline, and it will become part of who you are.

Don't Worry,

Be Happy!

Coach Yulia