Anne Lamott,blogging and discipline

One of my favorite authors, Anne Lamott, spoke at Seattle University this morning. I think she resonates with so many people, especially women, because she is the person we see underneath the layers of self-doubt and attempts to try and impress the world. She tells people that it is okay to fail, it is okay to admit that we are not perfect, it is okay to be emotional and angry and happy.  And it is okay to move through life without a well built plan for how to get from point to the next. 

I love reading her books and seeing her speak because she is like me, all over the place, hard to pin down and yet full of life and energy.  She, like me, seems to be in about 100 places at once and is passionate about everything that she does. I carry her passion for life, but I discovered in her talk today, what she has that has moved her from spirited observer to someone who is able to provide so much to the world around her. Anne Lamott has created discipline in her life: she mediates the same time every day, writes the same time every day and has routines that help her put all of the jumbled up pieces together.

I have the desire, the love and the spirit, but I am lacking the discipline. I will sometimes come up with four or more books that I want to write in a day, I will make an amazing discovery about my feelings on life, love or exercise, but I don't have the discipline necessary to carry out my dreams. But as in all inefficient journeys, I realize that it is not too late for me to start a disciplined practice and stick with it.  I am going to start my journey to a free-spirited, passionate but disciplined life by writing in my blog at least once a day. Hey, if  I can update my Facebook status multiple times a day, I should definitely be able to blog about my life in the evenings.

If you have not read Anne Lamott, here is a link to Travelling Mercies, a book that changed my life during a very difficult time. Travelling Mercies