The Importance Of Self-Discipline And Motivation

When you decide to change you will need help along your journey. You can find this help from extrinsic motivation or through self-discipline. I know people who listen to motivational speeches every day. In contrast, I know people who don’t believe in motivational speeches and both are successful. The importance of self-discipline and motivation cannot be understated. Therefore, the question is which is better, motivation or self-discipline?

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The Difference Between Self-Discipline And Motivation

Motivation from other people is short-term. It is like eating a candy bar for energy. The sugar will get you started but it will not sustain you. Listening to a good motivational speech will get your adrenaline pumping. You feel like you can conquer the world.

Listening to motivational speeches over time will produce less adrenaline and the impact the speech has on you is not as great. You might find that after the speeches over you quickly lose the energy it gave you. In the short term, a motivational speech will have you believe. Over the long term, you can lose that belief. A motivational speech doesn’t build faith.

Self-Discipline

Self-discipline is long-term and you will find that it will sustain your efforts towards accomplishing your goals. If motivation is like a candy bar, self-discipline is the healthy food that gives you energy all day. It is doing those activities you know you are supposed to be doing.

Self-discipline doesn’t wear down or fade. It doesn’t affect producing adrenaline. Self-discipline will still give you that feeling that you can conquer the world only not through chemistry. The feeling comes through belief in yourself. Self-discipline conquers fears and doubts demons. It stretches your comfort zone and turns belief into faith.

Which Is Better?

Which is better, motivation or self-discipline? The answer is both. You wouldn’t want to rely on extrinsic motivation alone but a good speech is a great way to start your day. Think of it as a cup of coffee. It will get you going in the morning but the effect will wear off over time. If you are self-disciplined you will create your motivation. The scientific study below will show you the importance of self-discipline and motivation.

Gro Jordalen from the Norwegian School of Sports Sciences studied the correlation between motivation and self-discipline in athletes. She determined that elite athletes rely on both. Her studies showed that strong self-discipline influences how motivated you are. She also found that extrinsic motivation will lead to greater burnout.

In short, motivation will get you going but you will need the self-discipline to accomplish your goals. Developing self-discipline is necessary for your journey to change. It is great to hear someone tell you that you can become a different person. It is only through the development of self-discipline that the change will happen. To be successful, both motivation and self-discipline are needed.

How Can You Develop Self-Discipline?

How can you develop self-discipline? Keeping things simple and taking baby steps. When I was younger and wanted to get back in shape, I would listen to a motivational song and get fired up. I would then take off running at a hard pace. I wouldn’t last long at that pace and would soon be struggling. The extrinsic motivation of the song had faded. I tried to do too much too soon. I learned to take baby steps.

Deciding to become a different person is a huge change. Our brains are wired to prevent such changes and you will incur resistance. Therefore, don’t try to make a big change all at once. Change small things about your routine. Wake up a half-hour earlier than normal instead of three hours earlier. Plan out your day instead of trying to plan out the entire month. Make little stretches in your comfort zone.

Small Changes Lead To Big Results

The importance of self-discipline and motivation is huge in your journey. Making small changes to your daily routine will lead to big changes to your lifestyle over time. This time next year you will be a completely different person and not even realize how you got there. A little self-analysis will show how these little changes developed your self-discipline. You are now a truly motivated person.

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@ventiviews

Rampton, John. “Which Is Better: Discipline or Motivation?” Inc.com, Inc., 29 Oct. 2017, http://www.inc.com/john-rampton/which-is-better-discipline-or-motivation.html.