I was requested to write a blog about discipline i.e. using time effectively.

The two words in that previous phrase - "time" and "effectiveness" are two of three concepts essential to getting to that place of "discipline".

Discipline itself is almost a dirty word, because it implies you need to be doing something other than what you are doing. i.e. you must "discipline" your Self to do this, instead of doing that. Right?

I've made a rash of poor business decisions lately - in the process creating a hole in the ground into which I fell. The "hole" is my mood, my ability to act being suffocated by trashing my heart and sinking into depression.

I just finished my seminar with Richard Koch on How To Build A Star Business and I ended it feeling depressed and disgusted that I made a complete ass of my Self.

BTW - this was a life changing seminar. Richard is destined to move into a new career as a leading biz mentor on a mass scale - there's a new book coming which will blow people away.

But me? I got depressed. I was an ass in the room.

At least, that is what my mind is telling me what happened. Whenever I feel depressed like this, I ask my Self four questions.

I know you don't know me.

That's a comfort. Nothing you say can hurt me, yet I am still curious. Curiosity is the saviour of arrogance. Do I know? Well, let's hear your opinion and there's no risk in that, no pain. Just wonder, and my opportunity to grow.

I've been asking a lot of questions about BodyChance these days: how about your practise, your biz? I am discovering questions open doors, so start with the big one.

Start with your why. What motivates you to be in this profession?

I have been through many whys.

All my pain is selfish - I discovered that again today. Per usual, just a glimmer - but a liberating glimmer that I want to underline by writing about it…

My hurt, whenever it arises, feels to me like it is because of you. There was an action from your side, a reaction on my side, and I give it a false linear causality: you affected me.

I love being distracted by silly little things.

Filling out a bank form and sending it off. Cleaning my candle stand of wax. Wiping away those annoying smears near my kitchen trash - all worthy causes in their own right, but totally useless to my mission. I get even more keen when I have a lot on my plate. Hmmm.

Why do I do them? Why do you do yours? (Or have you got all this figured out already?)

Back in Japan and missing my children already.

What is that lonely feeling? I seem to notice it first thing in the morning, as I go through my morning routine. I think of them, I miss them, I feel lonely.

It's a longing for something, and it appears to be outside of me. My kids: that can solve my lowliness right? Can that be real? As a Buddhist I know it is delusional thinking to seek something "out there" to solve the problem of my "right here" emotions.

Katie puts it this way: "When you're over there with them, there's no-one home for you."

In November, 1996 I was in Kathmandu, sitting cross-legged amongst an assembly of multinationals, listening to an Australian monk lecture us on the meaning of compassion in Tibetan Buddhism. He held up high an orange sheet of paper for us all to see, then turned it around - we could now see it was white on the back.

Then he turned the orange side to face us all again and asked: “Who can imagine what the back colour of this orange sheet is?”

“White!” we all yelled back.

These are the results of vigorous discussion in our ATSuccess Facebook group, with threads that sometimes reach epic proportions! Fabulous and pertinant information. Of course, not everyone follows all threads, but if a topic has an interest for you, you will read from actual AT teachers how they are implementing these new ideas in their practice. Of course even more exciting than that, is reading about the steady results that are flowing from this focused attention. If you are a regular of my blog and not in my coaching group, consider trying it out this a month...

Your key job to manage your Alexander practice is effectively engineering your state. Such a boy's way of saying it! I'll put it another way - to make your business work, you need to be feeling OK with your Self, to be happy all the time.

Who achieves that?

Not me, that's for sure. It's a daily work. I was powerfully reminded this morning of how important this is.