Both self discipline and motivation are incredibly important in reaching your goals, but they are not the same thing. Self discipline vs motivation is often misunderstood, but keep reading to learn the answers to some of the most common questions.
Self discipline and motivation are different, but they do affect each other. The best way to reach your goals is to leverage them both.
Read further to learn the answers to the most common questions about self discipline vs motivation.
Self Discipline vs Motivation
Self discipline and motivation can apply to many different aspects of your life. Some people use these ideas mostly when referring to health and fitness. Others think of self discipline and motivation when dealing with studying, trying to be more organized, or even in business. This shows that self discipline and motivation both play a part in all aspects of your life.
1. What is the Difference Between Self Discipline and Motivation?
The biggest difference to me is that motivation is a feeling that comes and goes while self discipline is like a muscle that you can train to be stronger.
Self discipline is defined as “the ability to push yourself forward, stay motivated, and take action, regardless of how you’re feeling, physically or emotionally,” by MindTools. The more you practice self discipline, the easier it will become. There are so many benefits to self discipline including reaching your goals, increased focus, and many more. If you’re interested in learning more benefits of self discipline, check out the article linked below.
{ Related Post: 7 Major Benefits of Self Discipline: How to Take Advantage of Them Today }
Motivation can be defined as the reason or desire guiding your actions. In other words, motivation stems from wanting to do the things that will lead you to reach your goal. Take a look at this article to learn more about motivation and why it doesn’t last.
As I mentioned above, motivation comes and goes. I’m sure you’ve felt the excitement when you’re first getting started on a fitness plan. Maybe you just bought some new bins to organize your closet. In the beginning, it feels so easy to go to the gym every single day and you might even spend some extra time there. Similarly, it feels so easy to start organizing your closet and maybe you decide to tackle your kitchen too.
After that initial excitement, I’m sure you’ve experienced the struggle to keep going. I know I have. This is the moment where the motivation fades. Most times, you’ll feel the motivation pick back up when you’re nearing the end of the goal or task.
2. Is it Better to Have Motivation or Discipline?
This question doesn’t really have a straightforward answer. It is important for both motivation and self discipline to work together. When striving to achieve a goal, motivation is what gets you started. Your motivation gets you excited and gives you direction.
Once this feeling wears off, your self discipline is necessary. At this point, without self discipline, it will be nearly impossible to continue moving forward toward your goal.
In summary, your motivation gives you the direction and gets you started, but your self discipline is what keeps you going. This is why both are necessary.
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3. How are Some People Always Motivated??
This question is a very common assumption about people who have strong self discipline. As someone who runs frequently and spends time on the weekend meal prepping, a very common misconception is that I am always motivated. That is absolutely not true. Sure, some days I really do look forward to going out on a run or trying a new recipe. Most days, that is not the case. Instead, I rely on self discipline.
By using self discipline to meal prep or go for a run, I am always glad I got it done. This is because of the feeling of accomplishment as well as the result of reaching my goal. When running a race, I am always thankful for the consistent training runs I completed thanks to my self discipline. Having cheap, healthy meals at my fingertips during the week makes meal prepping feel very worth the time.
4. Does Motivation Create Discipline?
Discipline is not exactly created from motivation, discipline is something that needs to be practiced and learned. No one is born with strong self discipline. To improve your self discipline, it is important to start small. If you’re trying to keep your house looking more organized, you can start by making your bed every morning. If you’re trying to exercise more, you can start by doing an at-home 5-minute workout.
By successfully completing the small task every day, you are strengthening your self discipline. As I mentioned above, you can think of discipline as a muscle. As time goes on, your self discipline gets stronger and stronger. Soon, you’ll be able to start completing larger tasks. Take a look at this article for more ways to improve your self discipline.
I personally use my morning routine as a way to train my self discipline. Follow the link to the article below for a free morning routine checklist that will hold you accountable!
{ Related Post: The Complete Morning Routine Checklist with Easy Steps that You’ll Actually Want to Follow }
5. Why Does Discipline Beat Motivation?
While motivation is very helpful in getting started, it really only contributes to a small percentage of the work. The majority of the progress you make toward a goal is due to your self discipline. If you rely only on motivation, you will constantly be starting and stopping.
By focusing on self discipline, you will have consistent actions. These consistent actions are what will help you to reach your goals. Each time you start and stop when working toward a goal, you end up taking some steps back. It is nearly impossible to be able to pick up where you left off.
Think about a goal you have for yourself. Maybe you’d like to be able to run one mile without stopping or you’d like to read 10 books throughout the year. If you work toward either goal for the first 3 days, you will absolutely make some progress.
Now imagine you lose your motivation and stop working toward those goals. Maybe you revisit them a month or even a couple of months later. You will have lost some of the strength and endurance you created in those first few days. It’s also very possible that you will have forgotten what you read and need to reread.
In both of these situations, you end up taking a few steps back. Now imagine if you used your self discipline to get you to put on your running shoes or pick up that book when you really didn’t feel like it. Now a month or so goes by and you are continuing to make progress toward your goals.
I hope these cleared up some of the commonly asked questions regarding self discipline vs motivation. If you have any additional questions, comment below or email them to ourteam@wellroundedyou.com. Thanks for reading!
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