One of the ways I try to stay grounded and balanced in my life is through my faith and my thought life.  That leads me to the application of 5 personal disciplines:

1. Reading
2. Journaling
3. Memorization
4. Meditation
5. Prayer

I try to apply all these disciplines in a balanced way so that I remain whole.  I have learned over time that for me, it takes all 5 disciplines to truly grow as a person.

Reading

I love to read and if I am not careful, it can dominate the other four.  I enjoy reading lots of different things and even have a balanced approach to the content I consume.  I like a mix of fiction, non-fiction and news.  My reading goals are simple and straightforward.  Every week I read the Wall Street Journal weekend edition.  I read one book per month.  I try to read some scripture at least twice per week.  I supplement this by listening to at least one sermon per week, usually during church attendance, but with the availability of so many great podcasts, can easily supplement any weeks I miss.  Being an audio learner, this works well for me.

Journaling

A mentor forced me to develop this habit and now I am addicted.  I begrudgingly did it at first, but soon learned the wisdom in keeping a journal.  My goal is to journal three days per week.  The hardest part is it takes real effort and thought.  It is not an activity I can so successfully once I get tired, meaning I cannot save it for last.

Memorization

Memorization of scripture, inspirational quotes, mantras, etc is critically important.  It keeps me thinking about the things I want to be focused on throughout the day or week.  It also creates a toolkit of quotes I can apply to many situations either as inspiration or as context for helping others understand a discussion point.  Right now I have been focused on scripture memorization and try to add one per week in addition to refreshing myself on those attributed to memory in the past.

Meditation

To be honest, I don’t really know how to meditate, but I am learning.  The scientific research is pretty conclusive that there are many benefits to meditation.  Training the mind and putting forth effort to keep it clear seems to be an often overlooked part of personal development.  The range of resources is pretty vast when it comes to philosophies, focus areas and techniques for meditation, so I have been trying to figure out what will work best for me.  Right now I’ve set a goal to spend mindful time at least twice per week, but in this learning phase I have spent time on it 11 of the last 12 days.

Prayer

As a person of faith, this one is obvious.  If you are not a person of faith, it is understandable that you would feel this to be optional or maybe even unnecessary.  However, for me, it is critical to a relationship with God.  Every close relationship we have on earth involves dialog.  This is how we get to know one another, relate to our fellow man and maintain feelings of closeness.  The same goes for faith relationships and prayer is that dialog.  This is not my natural inclination, because remember I go towards the reading first.  Thus, my modest goal is to set aside focused, dedicated time for prayer twice each week.

Applying these disciplines is part of my journey.  What I have noticed so far is that they are all skills.  They can actually be practiced and improved.  I have also noticed that in order to actually practice them, it takes great dedication because each one takes time.