Blissipline

January 21, 2020

It’s not your grandmother’s wooden spoon. It’s the art of living a disciplined life.

BRULES

I’ve resisted the idea of discipline all my life because it was Puritanical, Punitive and singularly Unrewarding. It meant I had to forego whatever it was I wanted, in exchange for adhering to somebody else’s Brules, or Behaviors that they wanted from me. “Brules,” for those of you unfamiliar with the term are Bullshit Rules.

HE HAD ME AT "BLISS."

Brules is a word coined by Vishen Lakhiani in his mind-bending book, The Code of the Extraordinary Mind. This is one of those books I succumbed to because I already knew of the author and the quality of his online programs, but the book sat on the shelf for months. It was in line behind about forty others clamoring to be read, digested, and reviewed. But last night, the Universe nudged me in the direction of that jacket cover. I flipped through the pages quickly to see if it really was going to captivate me enough to thrust it to the front of the line. Sure enough, there was that word: discipline. Only, it was “Blissipline.” He had me at “Bliss.”

I’m partial to bliss, and frankly, there just isn’t enough of it in the world, and surely not in my own life. I’ve thought about sources of bliss, but they always seemed to evoke some requisite element of the erotic to manifest it. Little did I know that bliss is not the sole possession of the erotically impassioned, but rather a state of being accessible to anyone who is engaged fully in life, from their toes to their nose. It’s about immersing oneself in all the senses, including the sense of purpose - and commitment, and yes, discipline.

THE ART OF A DISCIPLINED LIFE

The very idea of combining the concept of bliss and discipline is pure genius. It makes me want to be disciplined, but not for being the “good girl,” the “nice woman,” or the high-schooler who finally, in her junior year, won the “Politeness Medal” at the weekly assembly for performance and academic review. No, I want to experience the art of a disciplined life because it holds in high esteem the values I have chosen to live by. And then, I’m challenged to measure how well I’m doing at it. That would be a prize worth winning, because it would make a difference - to me, of course, but also to those I love, and to the world at large. And that, she said, is worthy of you.

BLISSIPLINE IS POSSIBLE

The effort to live a disciplined life because it is an art, not a punishment, puts a whole new twist on it.

Bliss is possible when we contemplate beautiful art, or reflect on a life well lived. But it’s discipline without the punishment and self-loathing that are on the flip side of slipping off the wagon. No time is wasted on feeling unworthy, or listening to the inner critic’s rants. One simply employs what I call the NOAH Method© of practicing mindfulness.

THE NOAH METHOD© FOR MINDFULNESS

• Notice, without judgement, what is happening in the moment - both within and around you.

• Then, consider your Options: how can we detach from whatever has us hooked in that moment.

• Then, Act. Nothing changes without Action.

• Finally, breathe it all in slowly, and experience the Healing effects of being mindful, and living in the moment.

In fact, it is the path to bliss. And that, combined with the discipline of practicing mindfulness, is Blissipline, and the art of living a disciplined life. We are worthy of this endeavor, and the rewards are plentiful. Your greatness is calling. Step into it. Bliss awaits you.