Motivation and Discipline have different purposes.  Learn the Anatomy and how to leverage each.  Apply the practice of Devotion to catalyze and fortify your discipline to reach your goals faster and with sustaining results!

How many times have you had the desire to start something, change something about yourself and your routine, or just simply had a spectacular idea you wanted to see come to fruition?!

More than you can count is my guess…often times to see that dream, goal or desire fall to the wayside or disappear all too quickly behind the distractions and daily obligations that jokey for your time and attention. 

Understanding the difference between Motivation & Discipline are key in giving you a leg up in reaching your goals, dreams, and desires….and even more powerful is applying the art of devotion…which takes your process of change and transformation to a whole new level!

You will see a download or attachment that captures the key elements we are going to cover today, but it is always a good idea to grab pen and paper to take some notes!

So let's take a look first at the difference between the Anatomy of Motivation & Discipline and their unique qualities so you can learn how to leverage and optimize them both. 

Motivation

Motivation is that initial spark, that burst of energy or enthusiasm that propels you to take action on a new idea, dream or desire!  When you lock in on something you want and you feel like it is within your ability to attain it.  

So, how do you build and maintain Motivation?

1. Get really clear on what your goal is; down to as much detail as you can.  Having a clearly defined goal is foundational to being able to actually reach it.

2. Once you have gotten clear on as much detail about this goal as you can. You can employ ‘Future Visualization’ to keep your excitement, and enthusiasm up as well as shorten the timeframe of reaching your goal.

There is a lot of evidence showing that visualizing the outcome of a goal …mentally, physically and emotionally experiencing it as if it has already happened provides a blueprint of sorts, shortening the time it takes to reach the goal and sometimes reaching the goal at all.  You see this is used a lot in professional sports with game-changing results! It is also used in different types of therapy to bring about healing much faster.

3. An important way to help maintain motivation is to curate a Why. When you know down to your bones your core why then you are able to lean on this when things get difficult for you.  The stronger and more detailed your core why is, the more you have to lean on when you just don’t want to keep going.  

This is an example of an Intrinsic Motivator…something intimately linked to your personal passion, purpose, personal values, and desires.  External motivators like rewards or recognition have their place and can be incorporated to maintain motivation,; Intrinsic Motivators are much better at sustaining and long-term commitment

Ok, we have 2 more key aspects to help Maintain Motivation then We will Dive into the Anatomy of Discipline and Key strategies to leverage discipline. 

Stick around till the end, where I share the secret sauce & jet fuel that will help make discipline a walk in the park and much more meaningful!

4. Accountability and Support play a big part in continued motivation or even jumpstarting our motivation after we have lost it! We are much more likely to give up on ourselves than on others’ expectations of us.  So use this to your advantage! 

Find a group of people who are working on similar goals as you are.  This helps to hold you accountable AND the process of celebrating other people's wins brings comradery, inspiration and will reignite your commitment. 

Especially after the last couple of years, the belief that we are meant to do hard things alone has become more ingrained and almost idealized.  However, science and study after study show that individuals who are part of a group that is supportive and working toward similar goals increase ones likelihood of meeting their goals and the sustained change that is desired. 

5. Along the same lines of Accountability is the idea of Tracking your Progress. We often times underestimate….and in some cases, overestimate the work or progress that is happening.  Tracking your progress daily and then reviewing what you have done and the gains you have made, then actively celebrating that process is really important!  It gives you a little dopamine hit related to the hard work you have been doing and makes it more likely you will continue to put in the effort!  It is pairing your hard work with that feel-good experience!

If you have a supportive network, share your progress with them, and their support and excitement will have an even greater effect of pairing the dopamine reward with your hard work!

Discipline

Discipline on the other hand, is the consistent effort and commitment to doing what needs to be done, even when motivation wanes. Understanding some of the Anatomy of Discipline will help give the framework needed to effectively use some of the simple but powerful techniques I am going to share with you to condition and grow the muscle of discipline.

Anatomy of Discipline

1. Self-Control: Self-control is the ability to manage your impulses and emotions, particularly when they may lead you away from your desired actions.

Now, this is a hard one for a lot more people these days.  With easy consumption and quick gratification at our fingertips.  You name it – food being delivered to our front door a the click of a button, dopamine saturation from social media, and all of the other things that come with a convenience and comfort-seeking culture. 

To develop more Self-Control, it is essential to become aware of your underlying urges.

Mindfulness plays a practical role in becoming more aware of your thoughts, emotions, and impulses as they arise.  This process will give you a window to choose the response that most aligns with your goals, dreams, and desires.  A great book for beginning to work with this is ‘Untethered Soul’ by Michael Singer.

You can also play with Delaying Gratification to strengthen this self-control muscle.   Instead of habitually reaching for an activity that is inherently distracting or numbing… take a moment to acknowledge the urge and maybe do something intentionally different to start breaking the litany of indulgent and avoidant behaviors we have become so accustomed to.

2. Discipline thrives on Consistency! This is regular, deliberate actions toward your goals.

To help structure consistency, have your week and day planned out to incorporate the new habits and routines that are important to reaching your goal.

Anytime we engage in a new habit or pattern, it will often times come with resistance or friction.  If you can anticipate that, then you can be prepared for the resistance when it presents itself, and you won’t be caught off guard.

Try Mel-Robins 5-Second Rule to get you in motion with the activity.  Count backward from 5 to 1, then just move your body.  The longer you give your mind to talk you out of it, the less likely you are to engage.

You can also try a Jingle or Cognitive Affirmation that I covered in a recent podcast.  I will put the link to that below.

3. Accountability is a powerful motivator for maintaining discipline. We covered this a bit already, but just as a reminder, Accountability is a needle mover for most people.  Either personally track your progress using lists, apps or a journal OR share your goals and action steps with a supportive community to keep you on track!

4. Time Management is a critical component of Discipline as well. This can be harder for some than others.  Track the time you spend on things during the day.  And just notice how much time might be taken up by activities that don’t really serve the person that you desire to be. An excellent example of this is documenting how much time every day you spend on a screen.  How could you better re-allocate this time?

When you carve out time for the activities that will move you in the direction of your goals, dreams, and desires…it is important to be uncompromising about actually doing it!

Where I see most people trip up on this is that they allocate too much time, and it becomes unrealistic to maintain based on their schedule, and instead of shortening the time they dedicate to the activity, they forgo it altogether!

5. Resilience and Perseverance is cornerstone to sustained Discipline. This requires you to bounce back from setbacks and maintain your commitment in the face of challenges.

Some things you can employ to strengthen Resilience and Perseverance are to develop a growth mindset, viewing obstacles as opportunities for learning and growth, maintaining a realistically positive attitude, and, instead of feeling frustrated at setbacks, harnessing excitement and hit it harder and with more dedication next time! 

“We are our own worst enemies!  Change your relationship with hard things and you will change your relationship with yourself!  You will truly become unstoppable! “

6. The last thing I will say about discipline is that it requires Flexibility and Adaptability. Discipline is not rigid.  It involves the ability to adapt to changing circumstances while staying committed to your goals.  This could be like not making it to the gym in the morning because of something that unexpectedly came up, and you are able to find time to fit a workout at lunch, after work, or even at home when the kiddos have some downtime. 

“Life isn’t a setback.  Your inflexibility to adapt to life while still staying committed to your goals is the setback.”

Now, here's the key point: Motivation alone is unreliable. It's fleeting and can't be counted on to sustain long-term progress. You may feel highly motivated one day and completely drained the next.

However, you CAN harness the Excitement and Enthusiasm of Motivation and use it to forge a strong Core Why.  Then you practice and condition the inherent qualities of Discipline that are being driven by the excitement and enthusiasm embedded in your Core Why! 

Discipline is what keeps you going when motivation fades away.

Now for the rocket fuel to Give your Core Why Purpose and your Disciplined Action Deeper Meaning!

• This is where the magic and alchemy come alive.
• This is where discipline becomes Devotion, and Motivation activates a higher calling and purpose!

When you look at the etymology of the word devotion from the Latin Devotionem, it indicates ‘dedication by a vow, sacrifice oneself, promise solemnly.’

If you see Motivation as the Inspiration and discipline as the trained fortitude to make something manifest…In my perspective, Devotion is your deep commitment to something. 

To be devoted requires that it is something that you deeply value and are connected to.  This oftentimes comes in the form of something outside of yourself, which mirrors the ‘sacrifice of oneself’ mentioned a moment ago in the Etymology. 

To look past your personal ego and desires and in service of those you love, your community, a greater good, a larger purpose.  This obviously can come in many different forms… but when you can break past the initial personal gains attached to your goal, dream or desire and fuel your Core Why

• With a commitment to something deeply meaningful to you
• That lifts up those around you, your community, or greater purpose ….than you have tapped into a channel of unshakable commitment…and yes…ultimately, service.

This, my friends …changes everything…

Your discipline changes from ‘I have to’ … into ‘I get to’… ‘It is my honor and privilege to.’

The resistance is still on some level going to be there, however, because it is leveraged in a greater common good…will go from a 1,000-pound weight of resistance to just a whisper. 

You are much more willing (and dare I say excited) to put in the time, effort, and sacrifice. 

Yes…you will grow and be more personally fulfilled…and that’s a good thing!

Instead of worshiping at the altar of martyrism where we must suffer and be broken down versions of ourselves, feel the power of tapping into your core dreams, goals, and desires…being inspired, excited, and motivated!...then employing devotion in your discipline to change your life better…

As you become stronger, more resilient, and full of inspiration and vitality, you will show up to your friends, family, and community as the permission slip for them to rise to the occasion.

"If we are going to change the world…it requires we start with ourselves."

And my friends, we aren’t meant to do this alone! 

We are built for connection and community! 

I hope that understanding the anatomy of motivation and discipline a little bit better has helped.  As well as infusing devotion as the jet fuel to completely change the experience you have on the journey to meet your goals, dreams and desires.

Because as we are all able to feel stronger, more centered, connected, and inspired…we open the door to those around us to do the same.

🌱