Why discipline is better than motivation

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

If you are inspired by motivational videos, trainings and books, but this does not change anything in your life or changes very slowly and little, then today I offer you a motivational article in which I will motivate you to jump off the motivational needle.

The long-suffering is better than the brave, and the self-master is better than the conqueror of the city.

Book of Proverbs 16:32.

Today, the Internet and bookstore shelves are overflowing with motivational products designed to inspire us to new life and great things. Why did the situation, which should, in theory, bring good, become a curse for many, giving rise to a mass of dissatisfied people who constantly dream of a trip, plan a route, but never budge?

For many people, the absorption of another portion of motivation has become akin to a drug addict taking a dose, after which withdrawal symptoms pass, but in life everything remains the same, except for the feeling of one's own helplessness and worthlessness, which is growing steadily. And in order to break through, in order to somehow get off the ground, we introduce another dose of motivation, closing the vicious circle.

Motivation - on the crest of emotions

The task of motivation is to kindle emotions in us, to raise a wave of feelings that will carry us to our cherished goal. This is surfing on the crest of a wave, but not hard work with oars. Beautiful, exciting, easy.

But if on the coast of the ocean waves may not stop, then in the reality of our life emotions are one of the most fragile, fleeting and fickle phenomena. You can sit on the shore for weeks or months, but never wait for a wave.

In fact, our life is a beach dotted with surfers, whose only occupation is this kind of waiting. Only a few take the oars and row, slowly but inexorably moving away from the shores of mediocrity and emptiness.

Popularity and the power of illusion

Motivation is popular, but not because it leads to results. Motivation is as popular as any easy route. Unfortunately, a person is so constructed that he is looking for an easy, but not the right path. And if she creates at least some semblance of the right choice, then most likely she will be chosen.

Motivation only creates the illusion that everything will turn out easy. Therefore, the slightest difficulty can lead to retreat.

But motivation does not make the path easy, it just makes promises and creates the illusion that everything will turn out easily and emotionally.

A person who is in the grip of these illusions is completely unprepared - neither mentally nor physically - for the difficulties and obstacles that have always met, are and will be encountered on any path to more or less worthwhile goals. Therefore, the slightest difficulty can lead to retreat to the shore to await the next passing wave.

Of course, we all love positive feelings: joy, emotional uplift, delight - and there is nothing wrong with that. The bad news is that we become dependent on them, and not they on us. We become like a drunkard who cannot and does not want to work without an infusion of alcohol.

Justification for the lazy

Of course, a bricklayer or a driver cannot claim a lack of inspiration, but representatives of creative professions have, as they think, a wonderful alibi for their laziness. I know that now rotten tomatoes will fly at me, but I am deeply sure: a creative person does not need inspiration to start creating.

To paraphrase the famous Chuck Close, I can say and confirm with personal experience:

Inspiration is for lazy people, others just work.

So today I invite you to give up serving inspiration and embrace the true queen of success. Meet her majesty discipline!

Discipline: paddle through the waves

Unlike motivation, discipline doesn't wait for the right weather and the right wave. She does not care about emotions and feelings, she does not need them, and with a certain experience she creates them and makes them serve her goals.

Yes, discipline is not easy. It does not appear after a video, movie, seminar or podcast.

Being small and weak, she can hardly push her way through laziness, fear, and “I don’t want to”. But if you cherish and train it, then, growing and gaining momentum, it will help you to demolish any obstacles on the way to success and self-realization. In addition, every day it will require less effort and attention from you.

Discipline has only one flaw: it is the right path, but the hard one. Therefore, she is unpopular and therefore she was slandered as best they could.

Discipline myths and lies

Myth 1. Discipline and creativity are incompatible

When I hear this, I understand that the real biographies of famous artists, composers, writers and other creators are shrouded in mystery. On closer acquaintance, it turns out that most of the geniuses worked hard, a lot and did not wait for inspiration.

There is nothing called inspiration. The only thing that counts is hard work.

Somerset Maugham

Of course, one might get the impression that discipline is the enemy of inspiration. Inspiration may be the enemy of discipline, but discipline is inspiration's best friend.

Firstly, when, thanks to discipline, we have collected, completed household chores (albeit not all, but the main ones), when the feeling of guilt due to financial or social debts does not press, then a lot of energy is released for creativity and inspiration that we can use.

Second, research has shown that moments of insight that seem to come out of nowhere are the result of intense brain activity that preceded them. Kevin Ashton, in his book How to Fly a Horse, was very specific and unambiguous:

Time is the raw material for creation. Throw away the magic and myths of creation, and all that remains is work: the work of gaining experience through research and practice, trial and error, the work of reflection and improvement.

Even the famous “90 Proven Ways to Overcome Crisis and Find Inspiration Again” (paper book or PDF) offers us nothing more than real action, not just waiting.

But even if you just break through paragraph by paragraph or stroke by stroke, inspiration will eventually come. And it happens more often and faster than if you just wait. To be more precise, it always happens. A disciplined creator and muse is disciplined.

For me, Jana Frank is a prime example of a creative person who tamed inspiration through discipline. Before reading her book "" it seemed to me that only Somerset Maugham and I agreed with all of the above. But - starting with Yana - more and more I come across creative people who claim that discipline and organization are the best friends of inspiration and creativity. So find out, without waiting for inspiration, and into battle!

Myth 2. Discipline is slavery

People often, after learning about my life, use the following epithets: slavery, prison, hard labor. One friend of mine, suffering from diabetes, overweight and still a lot of very unpleasant ailments, cannot cope with her appetite and nicotine addiction, but considers me a slave and regrets very much about my life.

The philosophy of such people is understandable. It was expressed by Voltaire: freedom is to do what you want and when you want. But there was another French thinker - Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who said that true freedom is the ability to do what is necessary and right.

From a logical point of view, Rousseau is right. After all, what kind of freedom is it if you go to work on a schedule, do what other people tell you, obey the laws of the state, but you cannot control yourself?

Discipline and self-control are true freedom.

But this is only the first stage of freedom. The next one is not only to do what is right and necessary, but also to love it, to enjoy it. And here we are faced with the following myth.

Myth 3. Discipline and happiness are incompatible

This myth is based on the belief that healthy food is necessarily tasteless, good music is boring, sports cannot be enjoyable, hard work (intellectual and) depressing … That is, everything that requires discipline and self-control is associated with negative feelings and emotions, which means that it is incompatible with happiness and a bright interesting life.

But perseverance is rewarded, with physical exertion, the release of the hormone of happiness increases, any tastes can be changed, and food is cooked deliciously. I’ll say more: if the food is wholesome, nutritious and balanced, but not tasty, then it is unhealthy food.

On the other hand, there are a lot of things that, by definition, simply cannot bring pleasure and joy, things that still need to be done. And they must be done if only because there is a direct connection between their fulfillment and our happiness.

For example, many people dislike exercise simply because they haven't tried it yet. But there are those who will never be able to fall in love with sports, despite all their benefits for the brain and body. And here no motivation and self-hypnosis will help, but it is discipline.

Besides, a lot depends on our attitude. It seems to me that it is difficult not to get joy and pleasure from overcoming oneself, from achieving one's own goals.

You can be happy from the simple thought that you are not a weak-willed rook, but a person who owns himself.

Discipline leads a person through the achievement of a result to the emotional state that the eternal pipers consider necessary to achieve this result.

It turns out that true happiness is hard to find without discipline. Without discipline, it is impossible to be free, have inspiration and break through the waves. What are we going to do with motivation? Let's throw the ballast overboard? In no case! Let's just start getting the right attitude towards motivational products.

Motivation is a picture of the future

Motivation is very good when it paints a picture of the future in front of us, shows us what awaits us if we pull ourselves together and, with the support of discipline, move forward. Motivation is good when it reminds us why we need self-control and continuous movement.

Therefore, be sure to watch a motivational video, read motivational books and articles. Better yet, seek and nurture intrinsic motivation. Think about your goals, dream about them, plan to achieve them, paint pictures.

Learn to love what you do, just fall in love with your job and become the best …

Let motivation inspire you to go to sea, and discipline will give strength and perseverance to swim to your dreams. Happy swimming!