Those who are the most successful in life are not necessarily the rich and famous. In reality, those who are successful are those who had big dreams and had the discipline to achieve those dreams. It involves being motivated and being disciplined. What is motivation and discipline and what are the differences between them? Keep reading to find out more.
What is Motivation?
What gets you out of bed every morning? What inspires you? What pushes you to grow and become a better person? Whatever answers you responded with, those are the people or the things that motivate you. Motivation is that inner inspiration that drives you to carry out your goals. Most often those closest to you motivate you to complete a goal or a dream. Your significant other may be one to push you to grow in every area of your life, while your kids may motivate you to work harder to provide for them and give them a bright future. There are two different types of motivation: extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic motivation involves being motivated to get involved in an activity or act a certain way in order to receive a reward. It can also be in an effort to avoid being punished. This kind of motivation may be used with your kids. For example, if you were to say, “If you come home by your curfew, you will not be grounded.” Hopefully your child would want to obey in order to avoid the punishment. Intrinsic motivation involves participating in a certain activity or behavior due to the fact that you find great satisfaction in it. You participate or behave a certain way because it brings you joy. For example, on a weekly basis you go to the local gym and workout. In doing this, you are not only healthier but enjoy feeling physically stronger.
What is Discipline?
Everyone has a different way of being disciplined. There is no set way to go about it. The goal of being disciplined is to carry out a strategy or routine to complete tasks that you wish to accomplish. Or, in the case of motivation, it involves disciplining yourself to follow through on your goals and dreams. For example, if your goal is to lose twenty pounds, then you need an effective strategy to follow through and accomplish this. You may change your diet, exercise and even hire a personal trainer. Following this regime will help you to achieve your goal.
Why Do You Need Both?
Motivation and discipline often go hand in hand. If you are motivated to accomplish your dream but take no steps towards your dream, then how will it ever happen? Being disciplined is an important part of taking the proper steps to growth and maturity, as well as reaching the goals set out before you.
What Are the Differences between Discipline and Motivation?
As stated earlier, motivation is what drives you to carry out your goals. It inspires you to become a better, well rounded person. Motivation involves the willpower to keep going, even when things become difficult. Discipline is different in the fact that it pushes you to do things even when you do not want to. It is the driving force that pushes you to follow through on your routine. When you do not follow through on a schedule, you know that there are many negative effects. This is when being disciplined drives you to follow through anyway because it is required work that is necessary to reaching a goal. Discipline helps you to overcome the fear and anxiety that you may have. It carries you through even when you feel emotionally uninspired or lack enthusiasm.
Tips to Developing Self-Discipline
If you have never been one to follow through on things, then it is time to take steps towards self-discipline. It will help you in every area of your life. Of course, developing self-discipline does not happen overnight. Take small steps to slowly get into healthier habits. Prioritize your goals. What are the most important tasks that you need to complete first? What goals can wait? This can help you to manage your time wisely and help you focus on one thing at a time rather than overwhelming yourself. If you have made mistakes or have had failures in the past, realize that you are not alone. Everyone has messed up at one point in their lives. Instead of dwelling on past mistakes, own them and learn from them. Learn what you can do differently to avoid making the same mistakes again. To avoid burning out, take breaks. Plan times of rest, relaxation and recreation to keep you inspired. Being disciplined also includes allowing yourself time of creativity. Incorporate good habits into your life, keeping in mind that a habit takes about three weeks to stick. Try to read more than watching television, devote time to spend outside daily, spend less time on your phone and more time with friends and family. These small things can make a big difference in your life.
Motivation is the reason behind the goal, or what is pushing you to reach the goal. Discipline is what you need to do to reach the goal. One is not necessarily better than the other as they both work hand in hand to help you become successful in life.