I have been thinking a lot about discipline and motivation in regards to training – mine and of my students.
Lately I have been hearing over and over how discipline is the guiding factor and the real force behind achieving our goals, and that motivation won’t do it – that we cannot rely on motivation on our fitness journeys, discipline is the queen.
And I want to pause for a moment, because I want to bring back the spotlight a little on motivation.
Motivation is the reason we act or behave a certain way. It’s the fire that initiates our actions.
Discipline is what makes us do something that is hard to do, like training, day in and day out, even when we don’t feel like it.
It is true that motivation alone without discipline won’t carry us through the journey. Motivation will get us started, but it is only with discipline that we will stay consistent week after week with the work we need to do.
For all the times we ‘don’t feel like it’, in order to achieve progress, we need to tap into the gold mine that is discipline, and we need to cultivate and strengthen the “discipline muscle” any way we can.
As a martial artist, I cannot stress enough the importance of discipline in training. I have always talked about how we get from point A to point B with consistent work, and consistency is dictated by self-discipline, which we form by daily habits.
I compare discipline to a car and the fuel, and motivation to the driver. We need them both to get anywhere.
It is motivation that will get us started in anything we want to achieve, that be improving our health, try a new program, lift heavier weights or learn how to meditate.
We need that fire – desire – inside to take the first step.
We need it to push through the hard times, when discipline alone is not enough to consistently carry us through all the challenges.
We need to tap into what made us start in the first place, so we can run that extra mile (or 5).
And we certainly need it when we want to find the courage to try something we never have before, like testing ourselves with a 10 lbs heavier weight.
So next time you might struggle to put in the work, yes tap into your discipline, the car will move forward – but don’t forget to keep your focus on your goals.
Motivation, that powerful fire inside of you, will help you find the strength and desire to keep going and continue to progress.
In Health,
Ilaria