money saving mom's e-book review: 21 days to a more disciplined life by crystal paine

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today i’m switching it up a bit and introducing you to one of favorite bloggers.  crystal from money saving mom has just released her e-book titled “21 days to a more disciplined life.”  i don’t know about y’all, but self discipline is something that i have major issues with.  at the end of the day, after supper’s done and braxton is in bed, it’s so tempting and so easy to just collapse on the couch and only get up to collapse in the bed.  i’ll admit, there are nights that i do just that.  but the morning after that happens i wake up feeling defeated before my day even begins because the living room is still cluttered with toys and the supper dishes are staring me in the face while i’m trying to make coffee. 

i was intrigued by the idea of training myself to become more disciplined.  i won’t say excited, because i’ve read plenty of self help books and none have been the magic fix.  but i was so pleasantly surprised that once i started reading, i had a hard time stopping.  let me tell you why i honestly love what crystal has done: 

1)      she’s realistic.  because she writes from experience, she knows it isn’t possible to create and practice every habit you desire for yourself overnight.  it takes patience and perseverance and she’s cool with that.

2)      she gives examples.  what’s one thing you could do differently today that could change your habits?  i had so many i didn’t know where to start.  so she gives examples like “hang your purse up in the same place every evening” or “sweep the floor after supper each night.”  those are both legitimate and simple.

3)      she looks at the big picture and the tiny details.  it takes steps to reach a goal, and she outlines those steps for you.  creative and so wonderful for my personality.

4)      it can apply to so many areas of your life.  i was telling a friend about it and she asked if it applies to spiritual discipline.  i realized that it really could.  each of these tactics and actions could just as easily be applied to organizing your home or mapping out time to spend with god each day.  i, personally, want to go back and re-read it and make it apply to different areas, one at a time. 

here’s an excerpt from the book that i loved:

Most of us crave more discipline in our lives even if we don’t know it or admit it. Why?

Well, we need order and peace so that our creativity can take off. We want to be

better managers of our time and life. We want to follow through with our good

intentions.

Despite my desire for more and better discipline, I’ve found that I usually try to force

myself into a more disciplined life through the wrong ways. I check out a book on living

an organized life from the library and think it will make all the difference. I download a

printable household organization planner and hope it will magically whip my house into

shape.

When the book on organized living or the printable household planner doesn’t

automatically give me the discipline I was hoping for, I’ve sometimes found myself

wistfully thinking that if my house or life or responsibilities were different, then I could

achieve a disciplined life.

Do you see what the problem is here?

Instead of addressing the root issue – my own, personal lack of self-discipline – I

convince myself that a fancy new system or a change in circumstances will fix the

problem.

But here’s the reality: A bad system is not the problem. My circumstances are not the

problem.

I am the problem.

Oh sure, every time I start to get a good routine going, life throws a curveball. There are

job losses, babies born, illnesses, moves, and never-ending projects that must be

completed or that I want to complete. But ultimately, whether or not I live a disciplined

life depends solely upon me and the choices I make on a daily basis.

Believe me, those are tough words to swallow. My life isn’t disciplined, and it’s my fault.

And I could wallow in frustration over my shortcomings and failures. But instead, I want

to let that frustration motivate me. I am the problem, but I am also the solution.

if you’d like to see what the book’s all about, here’s a link to purchase it.  if you’re in the market for a more disciplined lifestyle, i don’t think you’ll be disappointed!