Motivation vs Discipline: Unlocking your inner drive

We often find ourselves torn between the bursts of motivation that ignite our ambitions and the unwavering discipline required to transform those ambitions into tangible achievements. Today, we embark on a journey to unravel the intricate dynamics of motivation and discipline, seeking to understand their differences, their interplay, and ultimately, the key to harnessing their combined power.

Firstly, let's clarify the distinction between motivation and discipline. Motivation acts as the catalyst that inspires and propels us forward, providing the initial burst of energy to get a job or task started. It is the driving force behind our actions, fuelled by our desires, ambitions, and external factors. On the other hand, discipline involves the unwavering commitment to follow through on our goals and responsibilities, even when motivation diminishes. It is the self-imposed set of rules and habits that keep us focused and accountable.

Long-term vs Short-term Success

When researching this topic, I came across a fascinating book called  ‘Atomic Habits’ by James Clear. A captivating book about how to build life changing habits. In this book I found a correlation between the author's perspective on setting habits and the concept of discipline versus motivation. The mistake many people make is that htey tend to base their goals on outcomes. For example, someone might say, "I want to get a six-pack because I'm going on holiday in the summer." While this may provide motivation initially, this initial burst will eventually diminish. The problem with outcome-based goals is that once the goal is achieved, the motivation tends to fade away. For instance, once you have the desired abs or go on the holiday, the motivation to maintain your shape diminishes because you no longer have something to work towards. Leading you to fall back into old bad habits.

Instead, you should have identity-based goals. Rather than solely focusing on obtaining abs, you should discipline yourself to adopt the mindset of a healthy or athletic person. This involves thinking about what a healthy person would eat, drink, and how they would lead their lifestyle. By incorporating this discipline into your daily life, you will naturally achieve the six-pack, improve your overall health and you will be less likely to relapse.

Habit Swapping

One of the best ways to achieve strong discipline is through a process called habit swapping. The process is quite simple. An effective way to build discipline is to eliminate negative barriers and replace them with positive catalysts that reinforce your growth.

To do this, you need to identify all the distractions that hinder you from reaching your goals. These distractions often manifest as addictive habits such as smoking, vaping, excessive use of social media, or poor sleeping routines. These detrimental habits can undermine your mental discipline.

Secondly, it is crucial to replace these negative habits with stronger ones. Instead of mindlessly scrolling through your phone, you can develop a habit of reading books. Replace excessive alcohol consumption with healthier alternatives like a chai oat milk  latte if that’s something you fancy (despite the ridiculousness of it). By establishing these positive habits, it becomes increasingly difficult to revert to the previous addictive behaviours.

While motivation provides the initial spark, it is discipline that carries us through the ups and downs of our journey. By shifting our focus to identity-based goals and practicing habit swapping, we can cultivate long-lasting discipline to help you pursue all of your lifes goals.

That's all for this week. I'll be back with more soon.

Best regards,

The Anonymous CEO