Motivation does not last, Discipline does.
Motivation
How often has it happened with you that immediately after finishing an inspiring book or an amazing podcast, you feel a sudden surge of motivation to be the best version of yourself. But that initial boost also does not last long, at least in action it does not.
For example, you read about a good habit, such as waking up at 5 AM that could put you into an elite list of superhumans who are done with their morning flow work and gym by the time we normal humans wake up. Or you may have read about the benefits of intermittent fasting in one of the podcasts but give up after two days of rigorous gut-wrenching routine.
To push ourselves into doing something we are not used to, we often have to employ our will power. After numerous studies it has been concluded that will power is quite limited. So, in a normal day if we use our will power to push through few ambitious activities, we are left with very little of it to do the rest of the difficult stuff.
I too have faced this in certain aspects of my life, and I still continue to struggle with it. But there is a solution to all of it. It is called Discipline.
Discipline
There is a harmony to life around us. Sun rises day after day, earth rotates on its axis and seasons take place year after year. This happens without any visible intervention just like a clock work. In a similar fashion we humans have over the year developed some systems that we do without thinking. We get up every day, brush our teeth and take shower. We do not explicitly think about it, it just naturally happens.
Discipline is the ability to adhere to a set routine, make sacrifices and stay focused on the end goal despite temptations or challenges. Unlike motivation, discipline is a more reliable and resilient trait that helps individuals stay on course and weather the ups and downs of the journey towards their objectives.
Using the same principles of repetitive motion, we can leverage discipline to inculcate good habits and get the difficult things done. Now since all this is happening in an involuntary manner little to no will power gets consumed. There needs to be some push in the beginning, but studies have shown that once that routine is built, it just goes on and on like a clock work.
Ways to cultivate Discipline:
- Writing the goals down on a piece of paper.
- Breaking down larger goals into smaller achievable ones.
- Reviewing the progress each day.
- Self-control and prioritization of tasks.
We have seen over the years so many examples of these principles all around us. I have personally felt the results of discipline during my initial days when I just first started to code. It was very hard initially, the reward does not come so fast, and you need to push through every day. Day after day spent in figuring out why a certain line of code does works or does not work. The discipline to keep pushing through is what eventually yields result.
So next time someone goes on and on about motivation, you can share this article with them😊.
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