There are times when I feel motivated and that’s when I get things done. But, there are also times when I am not motivated, and I get even more things done. Why? Because motivation is the great lie.
Motivation comes and goes. Discipline last a lifetime.
I like to look at motivation like an aspirin. When I have a headache, I take the aspirin to feel better. And that usually works. For aspirin is a short term solution. However, because I meditate daily (which limits my stress), eat little headache inducing foods, get a decent amount of exercise and sunlight, headaches are far and few in between for me. By cultivating this healthy habit, I rarely rely on a short term solution. I prefer a natural state of health. Motivation comes and goes. Discipline last a lifetime.
Yes, we will get things done when we are motivated. But discipline will win the race. If you have discipline, you don’t have to wait for motivation to act. Discipline causes us to act regardless of the circumstances. You don’t wait for the right time, or for everything to line up perfectly. You act. Why is it that over 90% of all new years resolutions fail? Because it is short term motivation.
Every year around mid December people reach out to me (as a Life Coach) and say they want to get started after January first. And you know what? Most all of them have fallen off by late February. Why? Because most everyone is motivated with the new year. However, let a month pass and that motivation begins to die down. Soon after that, motivation is all but a distant memory. Don’t believe me. Just visit any gym or studio between the months of January through March. Then visit those same gyms April through June. There’s your proof.
When those clients call me mid December and say they want to tackle some new goals for the new year, I always ask them why wait? What is the point of putting off your happiness for a month? That is like saying “I have a headache, but I’m not going to take that aspirin for month.” See what I am getting at? Why delay your happiness another day? Why live with that headache when you have the means to cure now?
So there you have it. Motivation is a good thing. But we cannot count on being motivated all the time. Instead let us develop discipline. Because motivation will not always be there for you. And discipline does not care what the day looks like. Discipline say’s “let get this done.”
