Editor’s Note: This article is based on a recent Substack Live conversation with Robyn Levin of Finding Your Edge about discipline, consistency, and the surprising similarities between athletics, writing, entrepreneurship, and health.
Together, we explored why routine creates more freedom, not less, and how structure helps creativity show up long before the results become visible.
When most people hear the word discipline, they think of restriction.
→ Rules.
→ Schedules.
→ Obligations.
→ Something that takes freedom away.
However, in this week’s live conversation, Robyn Levin and I explored a different perspective:
Discipline isn’t what limits freedom.
It’s what creates it.
Before either of us were writers, entrepreneurs, or Substack creators, we were athletes.
Robyn grew up as a competitive figure skater in Pennsylvania, waking up before dawn to train on freezing ice rinks before school.
She spent years practicing jumps, routines, and movements over and over again until they became second nature.
I grew up playing roller hockey and ice hockey, spending countless hours practicing skills, attending early morning games, and learning what it means to keep showing up long before results appear.
At first glance, hockey, figure skating, and writing seem completely different, but they’re not.
They all teach the same lesson.
You Don’t Get Results First
One of the biggest misconceptions about success is that motivation comes before action.
Athletes know the opposite is true.
→ You practice before you’re good.
→ You repeat movements before they’re natural.
→ You train before anyone sees the result.
Writing is no different.
→ You publish before you have an audience.
→ You write before you know whether anyone will read it.
→ You keep showing up before there is evidence that your work is paying off.
As we discussed during the live, all three disciplines—athletics, writing, and entrepreneurship—require you to perform the action long before you experience the outcome.
The reps come first.
The results come later.
Why Routine Creates More Freedom
One of the most important insights from our conversation was this:
Routine reduces decision fatigue.
When you have a routine, you’re no longer spending energy negotiating with yourself.
You don’t wake up asking:
“What should I do today?”
You already know.
The decision has been made.
That frees up mental energy for creativity, problem-solving, and growth.
As I shared during the live, routines become automatic over time. Instead of relying on motivation or willpower, you simply follow the structure you’ve already created.
Ironically, structure often creates more freedom than the absence of structure.
Creativity Likes Structure More Than We Think
Many people believe creativity requires complete freedom.
However, most high-performing creatives have routines.
Writers often write at the same time every day.
Athletes train at the same time every day.
Entrepreneurs build recurring systems into their weeks.
Structure creates a container where creativity can emerge.
Without structure, creativity often gets buried under distractions, indecision, and overwhelm.
The goal isn’t to become rigid.
The goal is to create enough consistency that your creativity has somewhere to land.
The Invisible Phase
Another theme we explored was the reality of the invisible phase.
The phase where:
Nobody is reading yet.
Nobody is watching yet.
Nobody notices the work yet.
Athletes know this phase well.
→ A skater practices thousands of jumps before landing them consistently.
→ A hockey player spends years developing skills before anyone notices.
→ Writers publish article after article before they build an audience.
The invisible phase isn’t evidence that nothing is happening.
It’s often evidence that the foundation is being built.
Compounding is occurring long before it becomes visible.
What This Means For Your Health
This lesson extends far beyond athletics and writing and it applies to health too.
→ Many people start exercising because they want immediate results.
→ Many people try meditation because they want immediate calm.
→ Many people improve their nutrition because they want immediate change.
However, health works the same way.
→ The reps come first.
→ The visible results come later.
→ The people who succeed aren’t necessarily more motivated.
They simply learn how to keep showing up during the phase where the payoff hasn’t arrived yet.
That’s where discipline becomes valuable.
Not because it forces you to do something, but because it helps you continue when motivation fades.
In This Episode
Robyn Levin from Finding Your Edge and I discuss:
✓ Growing up in competitive figure skating and hockey.
✓ The early morning routines that shaped us.
✓ Why repetition matters more than talent.
✓ How writing mirrors athletic training.
✓ The invisible phase of growth.
✓ Why routine creates more freedom, not less.
✓ How structure helps creativity show up.
✓ Managing multiple publications and responsibilities.
✓ Building consistency without relying on motivation.
Whether you’re trying to improve your health, grow a publication, build a business, or simply become more consistent, the principles are surprisingly similar.
The reps matter and the routine matters.
And the discipline you build today often creates the freedom you experience tomorrow.
Resources From This Conversation
Follow Jess at Nurse in The Market →
Follow Jess at Unstuck to Published→
Follow Robyn at Finding Your Edge →
If you’re interested in building your brand story, using PR strategically, or learning how to position yourself as an expert in your field, I highly recommend following Robyn Levin’s publication.
Follow Robyn at Rare Finds – Luxury Travel →
Thank You
Thank you so much for everyone who tuned into this live, your presence is truly appreciated, and to the people who are watching the replay, thank you!
See you next Friday at 12pm ET for our weekly show, stay tuned!
-Jess, The Creator & Robyn Levin
