We all want to be motivated. We all want to be disciplined. But, what’s the difference? Or are they more similar than we thought? At the beginning of every new year, many of us are motivated to make some changes in our lives – maybe you want to find a new job, lose some weight, exercise more, start a new hobby, or read more. You’re so excited at the beginning of the year.

You start off taking all the steps to meet that goal –join a gym, order a bunch of books and start a weight-loss program. But maybe by March, you realize you haven’t been following through on those goals. You felt motivated at the beginning but found you lacked the discipline necessary when your motivation waned. 

The Difference Between Motivation and Discipline

One way to look at this scenario is to see the differences between motivation and discipline:

Motivation is the emotion of wanting to do something. You might wish that you were motivated to perform a certain task or action toward a goal – especially when you feel more motivated to do something that seems more fun. There are many ways to motivate yourself

Discipline is doing the thing that needs to be done, even if you don’t feel like doing it. This viewpoint holds that discipline requires discomfort because if the actions were comfortable, you’d already be motivated to do it.

You’ll never be free without discipline. Requiring motivation to do something means you’re at the mercy of your emotions. This could lead to having too many things left undone if motivation is necessary for you to take action. This perspective holds that to have real control over your life and yourself, discipline is necessary.

Discipline is limited. You can only force yourself to do something you don’t like for so long. Some people have quite a bit more discipline than others, but everyone runs out of discipline eventually unless someone is motivating them along the journey.

Discipline helps develop habits. Establishing a new habit requires discipline at first, but once the habit is part of your life, discipline is no longer required. For example, when you were young, you needed the discipline to establish the habit of brushing your teeth and may have been encouraged by adults to help you create the habit. You no longer need the discipline to brush your teeth because it is part of your daily life. Use your discipline where it can have long-lasting effects by developing powerful habits.

Another Perspective

Discipline and motivation can be almost the same thing, too. Discipline is largely the ability to self-motivate. There’s a relationship between undertaking a task and the benefit you may receive by doing it. You could be motivated by the prospect of enjoying something positive or by avoiding something painful.

People with discipline actually highly skilled in the art of self-motivation. Think about the person that can drag themself out of bed on a cold, rainy morning to go for a run. They are able to focus on their long-term objective and remind themselves about why they need to put on their shoes and head out the door. They focus on the benefits instead of the misery of getting up and running in bad weather.

Instead of focusing on the task before you, focus on the benefits, you will reap. Step away from the semantics of discipline, motivation, enthusiasm, and willpower, and learn to motivate yourself. When you understand how to motivate yourself, any goal is within your reach.

If you would like to learn more about techniques to help you reach your goals, or would like to explore personalized coaching programs, we are here to support you in your vision and intentions.