New Year, New Blog, Old Lady, Old Habits

I must admit I am very proud of the blog design. 

In October I posted about my quest to capture the story of my grandmother. I envisioned writing a book or a series of short stories but have decided to blog about her life, which seems an odd choice considering how infrequently I manage to post here. But short bursts of writing are easier to schedule in, and giving myself a deadline is handy. I'm a rule follower. I always do my homework. So I've launched My Dead Grandmother to blog about the life of Vovó Flora, updated Thursdays.

Starting a new blog and making other resolutions (weekly yoga, meal plans, try something new and scary every month) have me wrestling with the notion of motivation versus discipline. Motivation is so fleeting.
The rush of inspiration, the vow to change, and the inevitable return to the standard routine. My resolutions are doomed to fail if I rely on motivation alone to keep me going. Discipline is required, the drive to keep at something long after the initial thrill has faded. I may not feel like writing a post, but if I am committed to a weekly deadline I'll do it. If I don't want to roll out of bed to exercise (do I ever?) it's discipline that will get me up, not an inspirational quote I found on Pinterest.

Are you inspired yet?

The self-improvement blog Pick the Brain has a good feature by Peter Clemens on the power of discipline when motivation fails. This passage summed up so well what I've been missing from my past resolutions:

Self-discipline involves acting according to what you think instead of how you feel in the moment. Often it involves sacrificing the pleasure and thrill of the moment for what matters most in life. Therefore it is self-discipline that drives you to:

• Work on an idea or project after the initial rush of enthusiasm has faded away
• Go to the gym when all you want to do is lie on the couch and watch TV
• Wake early to work on yourself
• Say "no" when tempted to break your diet
• Only check your email a few of times per day at particular times

If I decide something will be good for me, I need to keep at it even when temptation, exhaustion and moodiness drain my resolve. So I start 2013 with more than another list of good intentions, but a better approach to achieve what I'm after. And if I fail, well, that's what this blog is all about. Trying, failing, learning, living.