When motivation dithers, discipline handholds

Everyone sets goals for personal growth, increased happiness and fulfilment. While accomplishing different goals and aspirations, it is completely normal to experience bouts of low motivation which can get in the way of the ability to stay on track. Usually something will come as a motivation to make an initial change. However, at some point, this motivation fades. At this stage, discipline, as a silent, consistent, and trusted ally, keeps one going.

Unlike motivation, discipline is not linked to emotions. Instead, it embodies the ability to push forward and take action regardless of how one may be feeling. Practising discipline is critical as it allows one to feel more in control of life. Empowering one with a physical and mental shield to steer through testing times, a disciplined lifestyle shapes character and helps achieve long-term goals and excellence. As Aristotle put it, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

While a habit is a behaviour that is repeated automatically, discipline is the ability to stick to a routine or habit for long. Once a habit is formed, it becomes self-perpetuating, requiring less conscious effort to maintain it. Initially, going for a regular walk, for example, requires discipline; but over time, it can become a habit, and one might feel strange missing a walk.

Yet, one realises how tough is it to make a conscious decision to do and continue something if it is challenging or undesirable. It requires self-control, focus, and will-power. Further, discipline is not just acquiring good habits but also abandoning unhealthy ones. Reinforcing good and relatively likeable habits, such as reading a book or rising early in the morning, is easier than dropping addictive habits, such as smoking. Anyone who has struggled to give up a habit knows that the change demands an uncomfortable identity shift, testing the capacity to leave the comfort zone. Indeed, discipline is a learned skill.

Rather than engaging in something because one wants to do it, discipline requires a person to power through even if not emotionally or physically feeling like it. Appreciating first that cultivating discipline is not easy and requires patience and will-power, helps. When setting unrealistic goals or trying to change everything at once, one is likely to experience feelings of disappointment and frustration if unable to stay the course. A person’s behaviour is likely to be more sustainable by making small changes, bit by bit, as it allows one to focus on one thing at a time, setting a clearer pathway to long-term goals. Forgiving ourselves, staying on course, and keep moving forward without giving up for good are critical.

Although motivation is great, it only provides momentum in the short-term. As one is unable to always depend on motivation to stimulate and sustain effort for long, it is imperative to cultivate self-discipline. As an emotion-proof, sustainable, and trusted tool, it presents itself as an all-weather friend.

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