Discipline First, Motivation Second.
My alarm goes off at 4:15 AM. I reach over and hit snooze.
After a couple of days taking care of a sick child and having interrupted sleep, that alarm was super rude to try and wake me up that early.
8 minutes later, my alarm signals me again. I hit snooze… again.
By now the time is 5:00 AM and I know I need to get up.
It is Wednesday, and on Wednesdays I have a 5K to complete for my workout regiment.
Although begrudgingly, my feet hit the floor and I put my workout clothes on while still half-asleep.
As I start my walk in the crisp 34 degree weather, I had a slow start but I kept putting one foot in front of the other and gained momentum.
I could have slept for another 3 hours if I could, but I know that to reach my goals my freedom has be earned.
Self-discipline is a key ingredient for freedom.
Self-discipline is the ability to complete required tasks, even if we aren't up to completing it physically, mentally or emotionally.
Discipline is a prerequisite to feel the surge of motivation.
Motivation is a fleeting idea and comes second to self-discipline.
Think about those moments you feel the urge to deep clean your space because you’re in the mood to organize.
If you’re like me, you don’t ALWAYS feel like cleaning so when motivation strikes you take advantage!
This is a choice we all face every day
practice discipline now, experience freedom later.
rely on motivation now, no guarantee of freedom later.
If I relied on my motivation instead of my discipline this morning for my workout, I would still be in bed as my motivation level was at approximately 0% to get up.
If high performing people relied only on their motivation, they would have inconsistent results.
In order to achieve at high level, self-discipline is a key ingredient to success.
When the motivation, curiosity, and excitement evaporate, discipline is what remains to produce results.
Although discipline is not always fun, practicing it daily can be insanely rewarding...eventually.
This is why discipline can be challenging.
We want results right now, as soon as the work is put in.
That’s not how discipline works and it’s not how life works.
Consider our world-class Olympic athletes currently training for the upcoming Olympics.
Some of these humans have practiced discipline for YEARS to compete for less than a minute.
Without having a conversation with them, I know they developed consistent (disciplined) routines and habits to propel themselves to greatness. It doesn’t happen overnight.
How bad do you want that “thing” that you’ve been dreaming of?
It’s one thing to identify that big dream, it’s another thing to be disciplined to complete the dirty work it takes to achieve that big dream.
Want to be healthier? Commit to drinking 100 ounces of water a day
Want to be smarter? Commit to reading 10 pages a day
Want to be a collegiate athlete? Commit to practicing your sport 10 minutes a day
Want to be a published author? Commit to writing 10 minutes a day
Commit to these bite-sized tasks, and complete these tasks with self-discipline EVERY DAY.
Your discipline comes first, your motivation comes second.
The commitment doesn’t have to be fancy, in fact the more simple the better.
So the question truly is… how bad do you want?
If your answer was “real bad” then it’s time to employ your self-discipline.
Practice self-discipline to feed your inner WARRIOR and inch closer and closer to your dreams every day.
