Motivation vs. Discipline

We all want to be motivated. We all want to be disciplined. You might be thinking, “What’s the difference?” Trust me… there are differences!

At the beginning of the year, you’re motivated to make some changes. You’re going to find a better job, lose 30 pounds, exercise each day, and read a book each week. You’re so excited at the beginning of the year. I mean come on, a new year… a fresh start!!!

So what do you do> You start with the obvious 😊 and purchase a gym membership, some new cross training shoes, and join Amazon Prime, because you know you’re going to be ordering a lot of books, and you’ll make good use of discounts and of course that free 2 day shipping.

Fast-forward to early March and you realize that you’ve only read two books, and the only time you’ve been to the gym was the week you joined. You spent extra $$ on Amazon prime, got a monthly contract for that gym membership, and after a few short months…. gained exactly one pound.

You were motivated at the beginning, but you lacked the discipline necessary to carry on when your motivation flagged.

Some differences between motivation and discipline:

[if !supportLists]1. [endif]Motivation is the emotion of wanting to do something. You might wish that you were motivated to go to the gym or to paint the spare bedroom. Of course, you’re motivated to go fishing if you love fishing. There are many ways to create motivation and motivating yourself [if !supportLineBreakNewLine] [endif]

[if !supportLists]2. [endif]Discipline is doing the thing that needs to be done, regardless of whether you feel like doing it or not. Discipline requires discomfort. If it were comfortable, you’d already be motivated to do it. [if !supportLineBreakNewLine] [endif]

[if !supportLists]3. [endif]Discipline is most useful for developing habits. Habit formation requires discipline at first. However, once a habit is established, discipline is no longer required. You don’t need discipline to brush your teeth, for example. Use your discipline where it can have long-lasting effects by developing powerful habits. [if !supportLineBreakNewLine] [endif]

Another Way to Look at It

Discipline and motivation are similar…. But different. What do I mean? Discipline is at the core, the ability to self-motivate. You wouldn’t make yourself do a task in the first place if there were no benefit to you. You either believe you’re going to receive something enjoyable or avoid something painful. It may help to remember your “Why”.

Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that those people with discipline are actually those people with a high level of skill in the art of self-motivation. Those with the ability to motivate themselves can do the seemingly impossible.