Hi and welcome back to another week on the Chrissie Murphy Designs blog. On Tuesday, I ticked off one of my first major milestones, I reached 1000 views on my blog. I guess those blogs that have been around for a while and are doing really well, probably think that’s nothing, but to me it’s everything! Today I’m talking about some unpopular stuff, Commitment, Discipline & Persistence. They might be unpopular, but you’re gonna need them if you want to succeed as an Expressive. So let’s get into this together.
When looking at Commitment, Discipline & Persistence…. Commitment comes first
At the start of this year I committed to developing my blog, I want it to be an extension of what I feel God has called me to do as a Mixed Media Artist. The biggest commitment I made to myself, was one of being consistent. So in other words, when I say I’m going to release a blog post every week, I make sure I do it! And already I have encountered weeks where it’s been exceptionally difficult to do that, but so far (God willing), I’ve been able to maintain that commitment to a high degree.
Having said that, I believe that commitment goes nowhere without discipline and persistence. All three have to work together if you want to see results. You can commit to all the plans in the world, but unless you’re disciplined in practice and persistent to see your plans through, nothing will come to fruition. I know these aren’t popular topics, but today I want to talk about them in greater detail.
Discipline… it’s tough stuff
Looking discipline in the face is hard. It wants you to “toughen up”, “take the narrow road” and “walk the straight line”, it doesn’t care about your “buts” and “if only’s”. Discipline means business! It’s calling you to a higher place, it wants to bring out the best in you, at any cost! That’s what it does, that’s what its purpose is.
Where your expression is concerned, discipline might want you to express, every single day. It might want you to begin reading books or start studying techniques, every single day. It might want you to start collecting things, or to begin recording your progress, every single day. And it might want you to search and find other Expressive’s to socialise and network with to build relationships, every single day. I think you’re getting my point, discipline wants us to step up.
But here’s the thing, it never forces itself upon you. Discipline is something you have to decide to do for yourself. I can’t make the decision for you, your friend can’t either, this is one decision you’re gonna have to make for yourself.
When discipline pays off!
I’m going to point you towards some examples of discipline paying off for other Expressive’s. These stories should fire you up, they’ll encourage you and give you a vision of what you can achieve when you put discipline into practice.
- Read the story of Jonathan Luczycki, an young man who committed himself to achieving his dream of being a successful artist. Through discipline, where he painted everyday, he saw his dream come to fruition in a pretty big way.
- Read the stories of Mozart, Picasso and Kobe Bryant, and see how all of these people put in at least 10 years of deliberate practice (discipline) before they ever saw any reward for their efforts. Look at where these people are placed in history today.
- Lastly, Alexander McKenzie, a 5 times finalist of the Archibald Prize for portraiture in the ArtGallery of New South Wales, among his other achievements. He attributes his success in art, to a life of discipline.
I’m not sure if you noticed, but there’s been one other thing that’s been really prominent about these stories…
It’s persistence, it’s about never giving up.
Persistence against the odds
One of my favourite bible verses is found in Psalm 30:5b, it says,
“Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.”
This verse speaks to me about having hope, when things get tough. We all face difficult times, times when we hit the pillow crying, but this verse gives us hope, that at some point, joy is coming.
Being disciplined with expression is not easy either. It requires persistence, and yes, there are many times where you wonder whether things are really worth it. It’s so easy to get caught up in a defeated attitude, believing that being disciplined is just too hard. And you know what, you’re not wrong, it is a long and tough road.
BUT…. if you persist and you get to the end, it is soooo worth it because joy is coming! Reward is coming! Satisfaction is coming! You’ve just got to hang in there, you can do it. Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.
I’m committed to expressing, to expressing every week. I’m disciplined, in that I have developed processes to help me bring my commitment to fruition each week. But persistence… well if I’m honest, persistence is yet to be really tested. I firmly believe that joy, reward and satisfaction is coming if I persist. So for now I am.
Where are you at with commitment, discipline and persistence?
But what about you? Where are you at with commitment, discipline and persistence? What are you working towards? If you have a clear goal in mind, and you’re struggling to see progress, is discipline or persistence the component that’s missing? When all three things work together, you will see your goal come to fruition…it just takes time…. so hang in there my friend.
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Until next time, listen to your heart and sharpen your coloured pencils. A masterpiece awaits!
Bless you my friend
Chrissie xx
Great advice Chrissie. I’ve had so much going on lately that today is the first day/week I feel like I’m back on track. It definitely “hurts” when you lose that routine, but when you get back into it not only does it help your work but everything else falls into place as well – housework, cooking, etc. Sadly one thing that has come at a price is that I’ve had to give up a lot of my social life to commit myself. Time seems to be the honey pot to it all. But I have no regrets. Great post.
Thank you so much. I totally agree about time. It’s where everything is at and time really is precious. I’m finding myself making more and more deliberate decisions about how I use my time. I try not to waste any of it, although I still have my days where some are better than others. And yes routine is the key! I’m glad to hear you’re feeling like your back on track. Woohoo, I’m excited for what you’re up to next. I’m loving your journey xx