Think Self-Discipline, NOT Motivation
A few weeks ago, I walked into my sister's room to talk with her. We have evening discussions a couple of times a week, so this isn't an unusual event that occurs. Since we are both serious about our sports, our discussions tend to be about our sports and how we can optimize our practices. This time, we discussed some of the quotes that were on her wall. They are all positive quotes that are motivating and encouraging. I noticed a new one that was right above her desk that said, "Think discipline, not motivation," and I was confused about it. A few weeks before that, we were talking about how we can get motivated to do everything, even things that are mentally challenging for us. Naturally, I said that we just have to find a way to like everything we do. But sometimes, there are things that are just not fun to do even after doing it for a long time. For example, going in a freezing cold pool of water, doing isometric holds for conditioning, getting up early at 5am every morning for a three mile run, etc. I've done all of these things, and I know that motivation alone does not last very long. Because we had talked so much in the past about how to be motivated, I felt that the quote on her wall was contradicting what I thought her beliefs were. She told me that she realized that sometimes we can't be motivated to do what we need to do every day; it's just natural for humans to get lazy sometimes, or for our minds to tell us that we deserve a day off. So we have to depend on discipline, not motivation, to do the stuff that we need to do. In order to better explain this topic, I'd like to discuss the differences between motivation and discipline.
What is Motivation?
Motivation can be extrinsic or intrinsic. Extrinsic motivation is a behavior that is driven by external rewards. For example, grades in school are used as an extrinsic motivation technique to get students to learn the class material. Intrinsic motivation is driven by internal rewards that have no obvious external rewards. For example, I practice gymnastics every day because I love training and doing gymnastics.
Doing mentally challenging things that you don't have to do, such as getting up early at 5am to run, jumping in a freezing cold bath of water, or pushing yourself to your limits in your workouts, requires intrinsic motivation. There are no obvious external rewards for doing these things. However, overcoming these sort of challenges gives the individual satisfaction after completing the task. And that makes the person want to do it again the next day. So it's the internal satisfaction that the challenge brings in the long term that creates motivation to do it again.
What is Self-Discipline?
Self-discipline is the ability to take action regardless of how you are feeling; it's consistent. An example of self-discipline is making your bed every morning: it's not something you have to do, but you do it because it helps keep your room tidy and it sets the tone for the day. Sometimes you may not want to make your bed, but you do it anyway because you have self-discipline.
Why should think discipline instead of motivation?
Motivation will only get you so far. Because we can't be motivated 24/7, it's easy to give in to that voice in the back of your head telling you to take a break or to stop. Motivation may get you to start taking the actions towards your challenging goals, but discipline is how you reach those goals. Without discipline, I know that I would have only halfway done many of the projects that I have completed today. Without discipline, I wouldn't be writing this blog post right now. And I know that without my self-discipline, I wouldn't be where I am today.
So rely on self-discipline to get the hard things done. Sure you might be motivated in the short term to do the tough stuff, but in the long term motivation runs out, especially extrinsic motivation, and the only thing left is self-discipline or strong intrinsic motivation to get the job done. Self-discipline can be hard to enforce on yourself at times, but it's more reliable than motivation.
How to be Disciplined:
1. Get rid of excuses.
Stop making excuses for yourself and just DO IT.
2. Make it a part of your routine.
If it's in your routine, like making your bed, it's going to be that much easier to do.
3. Keep going.
Ignore the voice in the back of your head telling you to stop. Your mind doesn't like change, but once the new activity is in your routine you'll start to feel weird if you take a day off.
4. Find an accountability partner.
It can be a friend, your sibling, or your parents. Someone who agrees to go on that 5am run with you or asks you if you stayed on track that day.
Comment below in what ways you are self-disciplined, or what makes you motivated. Thanks for reading!
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