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Motivation and discipline are two important factors that drive us towards achieving our goals. While they may seem similar, they are actually two distinct concepts.

Both however often imply there there is some kind of friction or a high amount of mental effort to be involved with both.

However, when something becomes a habit, the physical actions may be the same however there is a low level of mental effort applied, often to the point where the behaviour is simply part of your routine and happens on a near-subconscious level.

Motivation refers to the drive or desire to do something. It is the fuel that ignites our passion and keeps us moving forward towards our goals. Motivation can be both external and internal, such as wanting to impress others or the satisfaction of achieving a personal goal and simply ‘doing it for yourself’.

On the other hand, discipline is the act of consistently doing something in order to achieve a goal. It requires self-control and the ability to stick to a plan, even when motivation may be lacking. Discipline can be seen as the real foundation upon which success is built, as it is this discipline that allows us to follow through on our plans and commitments, whether we are motivated or not.

Simply put, motivation is important for being inspired to take action / make changes / get started and discipline is what helps us make progress and achieve our goals no matter how we feel. Motivation may come and go, but discipline is what keeps us consistent and helps us build momentum towards our desired outcome.

For example, if your goal is to get into shape and get fitter, your ‘external’ motivation may come in the form of wanting to look good at the beach in front of other people. Your internal motivation might come from setting yourself a goal and wanting too prove to yourself you can do it!

However, discipline is somewhat like a muscle that must be trained and over time going to the gym consistently, even on days when you don't feel like it and making healthy food choices even when temptation arises.

An example of this would be if someone wanted to to reduce the amount they spend on coffee from coffee shops. Their initial motivation might come from getting a shock from their bank statement, they would then need some discipline to ensure they made their own coffee at home each morning and took it with them to work and drive past the coffee shop… but over time this will become the new norm and will be made even easier if let’s say they were to leave their purse/wallet at home as well then these habits become easier to form and require little to no effort as it’s now just an ingrained habit.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, both motivation and discipline are important factors when it comes to achieving our goals. While motivation may give us the initial push we need to get started, it is discipline that will keep us going and help us make progress over time and the more these actions can become ingrained as subconscious habits then the more likely we are to sustain our results over time.

By understanding the difference between these and cultivating all three in our lives, we can set ourselves up for success and achieve our goals not only in the short term but keep them in the long term as well.