Motivation Vs. Discipline
What’s the main driving factor in a successful fitness journey? If you think motivation is the key, then you need to keep reading.
Unfortunately we're just not programmed to feel motivated all the time - so why do we create that expectation for ourselves, and also assume that the achievements of 'successful people' are a result of their level of motivation?
Our founder Rachel Dillon explains that motivation is essentially an emotion, and just like feeling happy or sad, the feeling will come and go in waves.
Truly successful people don’t act on impulse or emotion. They rely on consistent action, awareness and accountability to reach their goals and make things happen.
Initially you need a bit of motivation to get the ball rolling and take action, and typically all goes well and smooth at first. However the issue happens when you hit your first speed bump or an uphill slope, and the motivation ball stops rolling.
This is where discipline comes into the picture.
Let's break down discipline
Broadly speaking, discipline is what you use to get the things that you don't enjoy done, whereas motivation is more of a helper.
Both have their own roles in your health and fitness journey, but it’s vital to not rely solely on one or the other.
We spoke with Mindset Coach and Neuroscientist Alexis Fernandez, to break down discipline, and share her best advice to help you stay consistent, focused, and disciplined in your health and fitness journey and beyond.
Alexis says that "Most of the reasons we don’t get something done, has got nothing to do with our physical ability, our mental ability or the time we have at our disposal. It's often due to a lack of discipline and lack of consistency.
The thing that separates those who get what they want and those who don’t isn’t anything exciting, actually it is the opposite. It's the ability to stay disciplined when it's no longer fun, and the ability to stay consistent every day when you're doing the ‘mundane’ tasks. That is what separates the ones who achieve vs. the ones who only dream of it".
It's all about making tweaks in your daily habits, and implementing changes bit by bit that will compound over time.
Alexis recognises that the process is what's most important, not just focusing on the outcome."You need to prioritise what aspects of your days are going to be consistent, so you can free up other parts of your day for the things you enjoy and keeping a sense of balance.
Instead of starting the day scrolling on your phone, get up and move for 30 minutes before you convince yourself not to. The more consistent you are on the daily, the easier it gets. Once it becomes part of your habitual way of being it will feel weird not to do it. That’s the sweet spot.
You don’t have to love every aspect of it, but it has to feel like part of your ritual, and still makes you feel good after you do it.
Beware that the journey won't always be fun or exciting, and may even take a little bit longer than you hoped. But don’t overestimate what you can achieve in two weeks, play the long game and think of what you can achieve in one year of staying consistent.
Time will pass anyway so there is no point giving up on something because the results are taking longer than you like. Doing that is only undervaluing yourself and your capabilities".
Today, you can start by determining what are the non-negotiables in your life. These are the actions that are important to you and align with your goals.
Once you get clear on these, you need to make them a priority for your time and do them consistently until it becomes a part of your lifestyle without a conscious thought.
Remember, you won't wake up motivated each and every day, so you have to learn to be disciplined. No one else will do it for you.
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