Motivation Is a Myth! Here’s What You Need Instead

When it comes to our personal and professional goals, it is important to identify what drives us. In most cases, the answer is motivation and discipline.

But what is motivation and how does it affect our lives? Why is discipline important for success and what are the benefits of discipline? Do we need discipline instead of motivation and should we replace one with the other?

If you’ve ever asked yourself any of those questions then keep reading. In this article, we’ll discuss the importance of discipline and how it relates to our motivation levels in a psychological way. 

But before we start comparing the two concepts let’s dive deeper into each one of them and uncover why they’re so essential for achieving our objectives.

What is Motivation?

Motivation is defined as the driving force that guides us to the completion of our goals, regardless of how big or small they are. Motivation is the reason we initiate and maintain certain behaviors and actions. Our relationships, careers, and basically, any aspect of our lives depends on the motivation (to have them and nurture them).

So when it comes to getting something done the most popular approach to kick yourself into gear is to motivate yourself. 

But motivation isn’t a linear process. There are two types of motivation – extrinsic and intrinsic. 

Extrinsic Motivation

Extrinsic motivation is behavior that is motivated by external rewards and derives from outside the individual. This type of motivation is strongly connected to the achievement that drives us to pursue our goals. 

But what affects extrinsic motivation? Well, the main drivers for extrinsic motivation are reward and recognition. If you receive acknowledgment you tend to be more motivated to continue doing your best.

The same goes for the other way around. If you receive no acknowledgment you tend to be less motivated. Lack of extrinsic motivation is an issue not only when it comes to professional achievements but also in terms of your personal life. 

Intrinsic Motivation

Intrinsic motivation is a behavior that evolves from inside the individual.

Actions that are motivated internally usually do not result in a reward. Intrinsic motivation plays off our internal interests and values. This means that we engage in tasks for our own sake and we perform because we expect internal gratification rather than external acknowledgments. 

As a result, intrinsic motivation is harder to develop and maintain especially when it comes to professional goals. For example, it’s easier to perform well in the workplace if you work in a company that sends you a salary at the end of the month. Your motivation is the salary – extrinsic motivation. However, if you’re self-employed you count on your own actions to get you the income. Sometimes you don’t feel motivated enough to complete your daily tasks, so you’re experiencing a lack of intrinsic motivation.

But why does motivation work in some cases and it doesn’t in others? Why do some people feel motivated all the time while for others it’s hard to get things done, regardless if they receive recognition afterward?

Well, for starters, motivation isn’t something that just comes to you. You build up motivation as you practice your discipline. The more disciplined you are the more motivated you feel to complete your goals. 

Let’s explore the concept of discipline in more detail.

Motivation is Myth. Try Discipline 

So, now we know that motivation, no matter if it’s intrinsic or extrinsic, doesn’t last forever. Therefore, it’s unwise to rely on motivation alone for the achievement of our goals. This is where discipline comes in. But what is discipline?

Discipline means training yourself to work in a controlled and regular way while developing and maintaining healthy working habits.

It simply means that you perform an action (habit) regardless of your feelings towards it, and we don’t even mention motivation.

But there’s no formula for discipline. Those working habits are different for each person, therefore, while some habits work for some people they don’t for others. 

For example, if you’re more productive in the morning then you should try to complete your most important tasks for the day before lunchtime. But that doesn’t mean that this schedule would work for everybody. Other workers are more productive in the afternoon, meaning this is when they should focus the most.

Regardless of the structure of the schedule, it has been proved that people who structure their lives achieve their goals easier. 

Creating healthy habits

Humans are creatures of habit. So, creating healthy habits is the first step into developing a relationship with discipline. But it’s not easy. 

It takes 21 days for a new habit to form. At the same time, it takes 66 days for that behavior to become automatic.

So what’s the key here? That’s right – persistency (the secret key to developing discipline). So when you’re setting a new habit keep that in mind. Don’t overwhelm yourself. Give it some time and results will follow.

The benefits of having established habits are countless. And as much as we don’t like to admit it we’re extremely automated in our daily lives. 

Just think about it. Brushing your teeth, taking a shower, making a coffee, dressing up are all things you don’t think about how you’re going to do while you’re doing them. 

So if you want to create a habit, let’s say you want to start going to the gym, you should consciously develop a routine. It’s a step-by-step process and you should be patient with it. Here’s how to do that.

1. Start with a small habit

This will make it harder to say no. Pick a small habit that is easy enough that you don’t need the motivation to do it. So, instead of doing 100 push-ups a day start with 10. Instead of doing a half an hour workout from the very beginning, start with investing 10 minutes a day.

2. Increase your habit in small ways

Now that you’ve done 10 minutes workouts for 5 days, don’t jump into completing half an hour of exercises. Increase your habit but in a small way. Add only 5 minutes more a day. Along the way, your motivation might decrease but your habit stays the same.

3. Break habits into chunks as you build-up

If you’ve finally reached your goal of 100 push-ups a day, congratulations! But now you’ve probably noticed that it’s getting harder to do it. This might decrease your motivation even more. What you need to do in that case is to break it down into chunks. For example, 2 sets of 50 push-ups coil work perfectly. 

4. Get back on track quickly if you slip

It’s normal to slip away sometimes. What’s important is to get back on track quickly. And rule number one is to never miss twice. Missing your habit once has little to no impact on your overall performance. However, missing it twice in a row may contribute to abandoning your habit altogether. So keep that in mind next time you’re not feeling it.

There’s been an ongoing conversation about the difference between motivation and discipline. Why is it important to learn discipline and what does it have to do with motivation? Is one more important than the other? Let’s find out.

Finally: Motivation vs Discipline

The first thing you should know about discipline and motivation is that they’re not one and the same. You might be able to do the things you’re supposed to do but that doesn’t mean you’re being motivated to do so. 

Your commitment to your goals is the fuel that will drive you towards their completion. But you won’t always feel motivated to do so. Nevertheless, you shouldn’t stop striving for them every time you feel a lack of motivation. What you need to do is develop self-discipline.

Using discipline to form healthy habits is key to achieving success. And don’t get me wrong, motivation and discipline go hand in hand. You can’t count solely on one or the other. However, in those cases when you lack motivation you can still count on your discipline to get you through your tasks.

To sum up, willpower (or motivation) is a variable that you can “run out of”. If you frequently force yourself to do something it will eventually become harder and harder. At the same time, you can rely on your discipline as it doesn’t “wear off”.

Motivation will fire the engine at first while discipline will keep you going when you think it’s out of gas.

Therefore, it’s only logical to conclude that self-discipline is more important than motivation, as it will help you in the long run.

My advice is – form habits, create discipline, and stop worrying about when motivation will leave you… because at some point, it will.

Why Is Discipline Important | Motivation Is a Myth