What is 'discipline' and why should we even talk about it when we are already 'motivated'?

Most of us believe that we only need motivation to excel in life. Partly true! There is no denying its importance. However, motivation alone will not get you to the finishing line. The final piece of puzzle is the discipline that will propel you towards your goal.

Whenever we start a new habit, let’s say, going for a run, we are very motivated in the beginning. It’s easy for us to get up early in the morning, put on running shoes and set out. However, with a few days in, it starts to feel like a ritual, the motivation begins to fade out and we often see ourselves missing out on the daily routine. What we actually lack, is not the motivation to get in shape, but the discipline to get up even when we are not in the mood to.

Suffer the pain of discipline or suffer the pain of regret

Discipline is the constant pursuit of your goals no matter what, be it rain or sunshine, be it scorching hot outside or freezing cold. Discipline is the mental strength of overcoming procrastination, getting up in the morning when everyone else is sleeping and doing what you should be doing that brings you closer to your objectives.

Discipline is not inherited; it comes from within. The good news is that we can learn and train ourselves to be disciplined and enjoy its fruits in the due course.

Many highly successful individuals have shared about how they brought discipline in their own lives. Here is my recommendation.

a)????Take stock of your current situation

What is the situation, you are currently in? Do you have health issues, financial stress, difficulties in managing relationships at work or home? Are you under a pile of debt or are you simply a victim of procrastination? Be brutal with yourself. The more accurately you define your situation, the more clarity you’ll have, to design a solution and take corrective action.

b)????Have a list of goals

It’s of vital importance to have a set of goals – all sorts of them – long term, short term, family goals, financial goals, health goals, spiritual/religious goals etc. Your list of goals should reflect your long-term objective(s); i.e., what you want to do with your life. If it is financial freedom that you wish to achieve, then probably it’s a good idea to include a goal to have a second source of income or to cut down spending on luxuries.

We know that the human brain is good in generating ideas; however, it’s not good in holding and retaining them. Write down the goals in black and white. The goals should align with your life’s philosophy, should be original and must come out of your own careful thought process. The achievement of goals should result in making you feel successful and happy.

Difference between having a goal and not having any, is of day and night. Having a set of goals clears your focus, minimize distractions, and gives you a clear purpose for which you can channel your energies and direct your attention.

c)?????Make an action plan

It is certainly not enough to list down 500 goals on a piece of paper and lock them ‘somewhere safe’. Goal without an action plan is only a wish. Break down your goals into actionable items. For example, a 30 minutes’ brisk walk 5 times each week or cut down sugar from tea/coffee by 50% in a month’s time.

Once you have a clearly laid out action plan, make sure to regularly track your performance against the plan. Remember! what gets measured, gets done! Stick to the plan and see its results accumulate over time.

d)????Show up every day – half the battle is won when you show up

This is perhaps the simplest advice for ensuring discipline. By experience, I can say, that even if you are not in the mood for hustle, you need to just get up, put on your gear and show up. You can trick your mind and get in the mood very quickly. Showing up is a battle half won.

You want to write an article, but don’t seem to be able to force yourself into it. Just open your draft and type in a few sentences. Eventually, you’ll start to get it. Feeling lazy to get up on a treadmill? Just get there; telling yourself, that you’ll finish it quickly. I can guarantee you that more often you’ll find yourself sticking to the full workout schedule.

e)????Never miss twice – even if you break the routine for some unforeseen situations, get back on your feet quickly

If you’re like me and most of the people out there, you’ll have a burst of motivation for only so long. Gradually, the excitement fades out and you’ll have to force yourself to follow the routine. One miss from the routine, due to any reason, you may lose it all.

When I embarked upon my weight loss program in 2021, I felt very motivated in the beginning. However, after a few days, I had to take a break to care of some family matter. Unsurprisingly, my schedule was disturbed, and I had a hard time getting back on track. Previously it actually meant to be the end of the action. However, unlike before, this time, I committed to myself, ‘never miss twice’. It sparked up my motivation to get back on the track and helped me continue.

f)??????Delay gratification – Remember easy choices will lead you to a difficult life and vice versa

Delayed gratification is the decision to put off satisfying your desire in order to gain an even better reward or benefit in the future.

Researchers have found that kids who can resist temptation to get the sweets for a better reward afterwards, go on to excel in their lives later. The habit of convincing your mind for delaying gratification will provide benefits of unimaginable magnitude. The person does what’s necessary first and reap the benefits later. Whenever you delay gratification, you actually lend pleasure to your future self and that too a 100 times’ over. When you give in to temptations and go for instant gratification, you borrow pleasure from your future self.

For everything in life, easy choices normally result in regrets later. Fast food, sugary drinks/beverages, lack of exercise etc. give you immediate pleasure but take a toll on your health in the long term. On the contrary, balanced diet and exercise put you in a difficult and unpleasant situation in the present but are immensely beneficial in the long term.

Cultivating a habit of resisting instant gratification and delaying it will focus your mind on what’s important and practicing it consistently will increase your effectiveness manifold.

g)?????Practice mindfulness

In today’s web-enabled fast-paced world, it is quite beneficial to periodically unplug yourself from devices and feel your mind in the ‘now’.

Research suggests that practicing mindfulness increases concentration and helps avoid distraction, which are immensely useful in becoming productive and efficient. When you focus your mind to your thoughts, feelings and environment, such as your heartbeat, the air touching your body, the warmth of the couch underneath etc., you decrease anxiety, reduce stress and depression, lower heart rate while improve memory and increase focus.

Getting these benefits is as simple as closing your eyes and remain calm and silent for a few minutes every day. This brief episode of mindfulness each day will bring vitality in your thoughts and actions and will help you pursue your goals with vigour and determination.

h)????Review your achievements periodically and make amendments to your action plan if required

One day or ‘Day One’, the choice is yours. You can continue to procrastinate until it’s too late or start taking action today.

When you choose the difficult path and take the required action, you may not always see the results instantaneously. However, focus on the process rather than the result. If you achieve your target before the assigned deadline, do not stop there. Look out for another better and bigger goal for yourself.

Failure is an option, so is success. The choice is always up to us.

A consistent action in achieving goals will create a virtuous spiral in which you will feel motivated to achieve the next goal and the one thereafter. This is the way, you’ll progress through life.