Discipline vs Motivation - the difference and why it matters now more than ever.

An article that can positively impact you or anyone in your network, if you allow it to. We are all navigating a world pandemic and having to approach hurdles we typically would never have to approach. As a data science talent acquisition specialist and someone who is fascinated by psychology and human behavior, I hope the methods I outline in this article help anyone in my network regardless of company size, industry, seniority, school, age, or anything alike.

“It’s Thursday, only one more workday before the weekend”

“My diet is going to be great this spring so I am in shape for the summer”

“That movie was awesome, I am inspired to created a better life for myself”

You get the picture. Ever thought or heard one of these or something similar? The truth is that we all have. This is when we as human beings are motivated to produce output in the hope of success with a desired outcome. The problem is that our efforts are based on external environments, often for short periods of time or in ‘phases’ and most crucially not within our internal control.

Internal control and dialogue stem from discipline. Self-discipline is something I have leaned upon from a young age. Last year when I ran the San Francisco and New York city marathons, I clocked over 3,000 miles of training in the dark between the hours of 4am-6am. I also balanced a full-time job with full-time MBA studies and coached an NCAA soccer team. Discipline was at the core of everything I did. Am I saying that we need to run marathons to show discipline? No. Am I saying that you need to do anything drastic to show discipline? No. Am I illustrating that motivation would never have allowed me to perform at this level, yes.

Here are some methods in which I think will help you lean towards discipline, lean away from temporary motivation, and have you leaving this pandemic (whenever that might be) with habits, routines, and skills that can enhance your performance and create a better you. Try these:

1. Hold yourself accountable. You must identify your flaws/weaknesses in order to work on them. If not, someone or something else is always going to be your scapegoat (some might refer to this as excuses) - If someone cannot tell you what their own flaws are, they have one of the most dangerous flaws – lack of self-awareness.
2. Reduce your time and energy cracks. Working from home, this is a big one – time management. Social media, overthinking and meaningless relationships can largely impact your abilities to stay on task. Before you can truly dial in, focus on eliminating or dedicating specific times where you can scroll away, which leads me on to my final suggestion.
3. The importance of YOUR mornings. By winning your mornings, you set the tone. You are already ‘in control’ and running your day, not letting the day run you. Winning your morning entails small wins and routines which allow the mind to feel success. Your mind will want to continually follow the ‘in control’ feeling you have as your day begins. - Wake up earlier than you need to. Take this time to be ‘screen-free’ – no phone, emails, social media. During this time make your bed, workout, read… you name it. It is your morning.

Without the smallest amount of sacrifice, it is hard to accomplish what you are looking to fulfill.

If this article helps just one of you in my network, please let me know. Discipline should be a pillar to lean upon but if you intelligently plan and prepare correctly, you will notice you begin to feel in control. Once you take the first step, all that’s left is that one key quality I will never stop advocating for….

Consistency.