The way I see it now, as the biggest difference between discipline and motivation is that, if you wait to get motivated to do whatever it is that you have to do, you won't get far because you will only do it when you feel like doing it". But if you are disciplined enough to do it anyways, even when motivation levels are lower or you're not having a great day, you'll always have advantage and be (at least) a few steps closer to your goals and dreams.
Do I have self-discipline yet? No! But now I know what I need to work on. I was always good at motivating myself, making plans, writing down and organizing everything on paper but when it came to the final and the most important step of actually doing it, that's where I would stop, convinsing myself "I'll start tomorrow" and other nonsense like that. You can read thousands of motivational quotes, read the same amount of inspirational books, make the most detailed, perfect plan but if you won't take action, then you're stuck in the same place.
Self-discipline is important for many aspects of life - school, work, health... The good news is, it's never too late to get self-disciplined!! Yes, it takes effort, getting out of the comfort zone and there might be failures and hard times, but I think it's all worth it. I don't know why it took me so long to realize this, but I'm so glad I did. I guess we never stop learning. :)
Where I'm going from here...
So I would usually do a lot of motivational preparation, organization, planning, setting goals and all that stuff and come to the point where I would need just one more step - action - and that's where I would stop. So I thought I might go backwards! Get things done first and then everything else would just be additional, extra things to make this journey more fun. I guess it all comes down to "Just do it!" :D Another thing I think it's important is to eliminate distractions, which is one of the hardest things for me. I recognize my laptop and phone to be my biggest time consumers and distractions, so called "time wasters". And finally, no matter what you do, don't forget to stop, breathe, be grateful and have fun along the way.
I really hope that you found this post interesting/helpful and I would love to hear your opinion about self-discipline since I'm still to build it and hearing someone else's experience would be very much appreciated. :)
Some of my previous posts:
Realizing this is a huge step!
I wish you luck with sticking to it ;)
<Put the "just do it" mem here> :p
Thanks Hazem!
I've always considered you a self-disciplined individual, level pro, haha. :D
Heheh thank you, I wonder why ...
And I meant this one lol
Impossible is nothing!
I'm a inspiration driven person and I've notice that inspiration usually finds me already working, hence like or not our starting point is discipline.
Lovely post for a an open public discussion! ;-)
It's always interesting to hear from other people's perspective and experience, thanks for sharing yours! :)
I agree, 100%!
My favorite quote.
"Just do it"
since like you said, motivating and writing and planning is awesome, but sometimes we just have to do it. Well actually, this is probably the most important thing and the first thing we should do.
Just like I have mentioned this quote in my previous post
We might have all the knowledge and motivation, but if we don't step out and use it, it is really useless.
Awesome post my friend.
Great point and so well said! I like that quote and it really comes down to what we do with our knowledge and abilities and how we use them.
Thank you for this amazing comment, my friend! <3
This is very true! I would like to add though, that I have tried several times to "discipline myself" but it has never worked. The best method I have found is actually to not really focus so much on the actual work, but rather focus on the process. So when I wake up in the morning, I try to avoid focusing on the work I have planned for that day. Instead I focus on sticking to my morning routine, do meditation, yoga and such more spiritual things. I have found that when I do that, the work has a tendency to just flow, much more than when I tell myself to put the work before the other things. Does that make sense and have anyone else noticed the same thing?
Thank you so much for sharing your experience!
I am also focusing on my morning routine, at the moment my main focus is having breakfast before coffee and writing in my gratitude journal every morning. I kind of failed adding meditation and yoga to my morning routine but I'll work on that next.
It's great to hear that having a mindful morning routine makes the work flow and easier to deal with. Thank you once again for this comment, I always love to hear other people's experience. :)
I am not self disciplined too. But it is never too late to start to have it, right?
I believe that is never too late. Maybe it won't be that easy but it definitely can be done. :))