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I never thought a mat covered in 6000 plastic spikes would be the thing that finally taught me about discipline. But there I was, night after night, lying on what felt like a bed of nails, fighting every instinct to jump up and run away, all because I made myself promise this is the story of how I found discipline and was able to create habits through the most unlikely teacher, which is physical discomfort, and how what started as a quest to ease my back pain accidentally revealed the exact mental framework that separates struggling solopreneurs, from those who thrive year after year,

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what I discovered in those 24 days changed everything when it came to my mindset. So stay tuned,

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ready to break free from the solopreneur struggle. This is the ease and impact thriving as a solopreneur Podcast. I'm Frankie Jay, a surfer, a mum and an eight year solopreneur. Myself join me as I peel back the layers to a thriving online business without the guru hype or the burnout. I'm going to show you the proven strategies and tools that I use so you can build a sustainable digital business without sacrificing your well being. Let's get you thriving as a solopreneur.

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Welcome to ease and impact thriving as a solopreneur. I am your host, Frankie Jay, and today we're diving into something a little different, but incredibly powerful. How building personal discipline in one area of your life actually creates a ripple effect through your business. But before we jump in, if you're finding value in these practical no BS conversations about sustainable solopreneurship, hit that subscribe button wherever you're listening each week, cut through the guru noise to focus on what actually works building a business that serves your life, not the other way around. Now let's talk about discipline, back pain, and how a mat covered in 6000 plastic spikes became my unexpected mindset and business coach of sorts. So in the beginning, let me, let me paint you a bit of a picture. I had chronic, no, I had chronic back pain since I had back surgery in 2015

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and while it doesn't usually stop me from doing anything, it is a it is a constant,

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not to mention the fact that I am accident prone. In fact, my friend group has this saying of you're pulling a Frankie whenever anyone hurts themselves in a seemingly innocuous way,

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and I would always end up having a sore upper back or a shoulder blade or out or something. And look, I do enjoy and would pay for massages for it, but for it really to be useful, I'd need them like, you know, once to twice a week. So I made a decision, instead of continuing to spend money on massages every six weeks, I ordered this thing called a Shakti mat. Essentially, it's an acupressure mat covered in 1000s of sharp plastic points that is supposed to help with pain, circulation and relaxation. A little did I know when I clicked that buy button that this $100 purchase wasn't just about physical relief, it was about to become sort of the perfect training ground for the mental discipline that every solopreneur needs. So let me run you through what happened day one, I lay down shirtless on this mat of torture, and let me tell you,

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the initial shock was intense. My brain went into that fight or flight mode. Everything inside me scream, get off.

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But I stayed just breathing through it. And after three minutes, something interesting happened. The pain kind of transformed into a warm, tingly sensation, not pleasant exactly, but manageable.

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Now, if this sounds a bit familiar, it's kind of like the moment when you're facing a difficult business task. You know, maybe that's filming a video you've been procrastinating on, or having that uncomfortable conversation with a client. You know, your brain shouts all the reasons to avoid it, but if you can just stay with that discomfort for the first few crucial minutes, something shifts. Now by days four and five, I noticed something interesting. The first few minutes on the map was still uncomfortable, but I developed kind of a new relationship with the discomfort. I wasn't labeling it as bad anymore. I was just noticing it.

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You know, I

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say things to myself, like, interesting how this area burns more than the other today, or, huh? I noticed that my mind is trying to convince me to quit right now. I was developing.

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Being a new perspective, a stronger mind, that ability to notice your discomfort without being controlled by it.

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I think this is gold for solopreneurs like how many times have you avoided sending that email, making that call, launching that offer, because your mind created a story about how terrible it might be. But what I discovered around day seven, the anticipation of the discomfort was almost always worse than the actual experience. Every single night, I dreaded getting on that mat, yet after I'd finished, I'd think, Well, that wasn't nearly as bad as my mind was making it out to be, and I'd walk away feeling proud that I'd done it. And isn't that exactly what happens with the tasks we avoid in business? We build them up into these mountains in our minds, only to find that once we actually start there, nowhere near as difficult to scale as we imagine. Now, at this point, I want you to notice something important about this journey, that I'm that I'm on around day five. I missed a couple of days due to being sick. You're not meant to use it when you're sick or have a fever in the instructions. And then again, sort of around day 14. Now this is where most habit building attempts fail, so first slip up becomes permanent. But what matters isn't the slip, it's what happens next, what action you choose to take. So by day eight, I was having this internal dialog. I hate this, but I'm committed.

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I was building almost an identity based around discipline. It wasn't I have to do this because I should, but I do this because this is who I am. Now I'd like to check in with you and have you ask yourself, what identity are you building in your business right now? Are you someone who follows through, who keeps promises to yourself, or are you reinforcing the identity of someone who gives up when things get uncomfortable. The beautiful thing is that you get to choose. Each small decision reinforces one identity or the other. So around day 11, I made it's an interesting discovery.

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20 minutes was consistently too long for me. At this stage, I was white knuckling through the last minutes, which wasn't really productive,

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so I changed it to 10, and then 15 minutes, and something cool happened. Consistency became easier. I stopped dreading it so much. Now this is, I think, an interesting lesson for solopreneurs. The all or nothing mindset can kill businesses.

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Sometimes scaling back temporarily actually ensures you stay in the game long term.

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So think about this. Would you rather post on social media every day for four weeks but then burn out and disappear for three to six months

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or post twice a week consistently for a year straight. The magic doesn't come from the intensity. It's in the consistency and consistency all that comes from making your habit sustainable and using discipline. Now, by week four, something shifted. Using the mat wasn't exactly pleasant, but it had become a part of my routine. The mental battle that I was having had lessened, and I found myself saying something to the effect of this phrase over and over. I don't always feel motivated, but I choose to discipline so this shift in thinking, This realization,

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honestly, I think it's worth its weight in gold. Motivation is fickle. It comes and goes. It's about as changeable as the weather. But discipline.

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Discipline is the foundation you can build on regardless of how you feel on any given day.

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And look, it took me a while to enjoy getting on that shark tea mat. It's now become a ritual of sorts, and I actually look forward to it every night. But I also love who I'm becoming by doing it on those nights I don't want to

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I'm becoming someone who does what needs to be done regardless of momentary discomfort, and honestly, that's the person who succeeds in life and business in the long term, not the person waiting for inspiration to strike, or for it to suddenly just be easy, but the person who shows up day after day, especially when they don't feel like it,

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that ability to sit with discomfort to not be ruled by the desire for immediate relief. Well, this is the superpower of successful solopreneurs, and like any muscle, he can be trained now a Shakti mat does seem pretty extreme to be your first step into building discipline. So what is your Shakti mat? You know? What small daily practice could you commit to that builds this muscle of discipline? It does.

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Have to be physical. It could be meditation, writing, cold showers or early morning walks. The specific practice is less important than the mental muscle you're developing, the ability to follow through on your commitments to yourself, especially when you don't feel like it. So as I wrap up today's episode, I want to leave you with this thought,

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the success of your business is not determined by knowing the latest marketing tactic or having the perfect tech tools. It's built on the foundation of your personal discipline, because you are your business when you thrive, your business thrives your ability to show up consistently for yourself and your clients, even when it's uncomfortable at first. And if you have any questions about building discipline, or you have your own Shakti matte or discipline building story to share, I'd love to hear it. Drop your thoughts in the comments below this episode. Thank you so much for listening, and until next week, keep creating that impact with ease.