Redefining Discipline (official class notes)

A Joyful Self-Study

Hiiiii!

Mother Nature Grows by @artbyruth_nj on IG - support a Black artist & purchase the signed art print

In this week’s gathering, we explored something that could completely shift how you approach discipline—not just as a concept, but as a daily practice. This isn’t about rigid structures, societal expectations, or forcing yourself into productivity. This is about aligning with joy, curiosity, and the divinity within you.

Today, I’m sharing those insights with you in more depth, offering a practical EFT script to integrate this redefinition into your life, and encouraging you to sit with how these ideas land for you. And don’t worry—if you missed the live session, you can catch the replay linked below.

Let’s dive in.

---

Discipline: The Old vs. The New

First, let’s break down the traditional definition of discipline:

• “The practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behavior, often through punishment.”

• Alternate definitions include:

  • “Controlled behavior resulting from training.”

  • “A branch of knowledge, typically one studied in higher education.”

These definitions all focus on control, obedience, and external structures. For many of us, discipline feels rigid, joyless, or even shameful—something tied to guilt or punishment.

But a few years ago, an elder in a prayer circle shared a redefinition of discipline that shifted everything for me:

“To be disciplined means to be a disciple.”

She explained that to be a disciple is to be a disciple of Self—your Higher Self, the Self connected to God, to Source. Discipline isn’t about obeying external rules; it’s about studying yourself deeply, continuously, and compassionately. It’s about knowing yourself as divine and honoring that divinity in how you show up every day.

This redefinition completely changed how I approach discipline. It turned something rigid into something sacred, a practice of curiosity and connection with myself.