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Discipline vs Motivation
Most people are waiting for that “Perfect time” to start something or change something. Like the end of Thor Ragnorok, when Led Zepplin’s Immigrant Song comes on and Thor starts kicking everyone’s ass. If you watch that scene and don’t get jacked up, flip it back to the Lifetime channel then hit the Y for some water aerobics! I hate to break it to you but that song is never going to start playing during the day and give you the inspiration you have been searching for.
It is tough, but you are in charge of your own “motivation”…and most motivation can be found with discipline. Habits, routine, consistency…those words are all brought forth through discipline, they are words you need to think about when contemplating your days and your goals.
When it comes to many daily tasks, I am the King of Procrastination! For example, the first time I heard the podcast linked below, I had to share it, aaaaaand four months later I finally typed an email about it. I must have been waiting for the “perfect” time. 🙄
We all have different things that we know we need to do or should be doing, but many times it is hard to find the “motivation” when we keep doing the things that are easy to do (eat too much, stay up late, sleep in, skip a shower, skip strength training, etc…).
This is why I keep talking about keeping a sleep schedule, eating the same foods day to day at the same times, workouts on schedule, etc…. The more consistent our routine, the easier it is to develop motivated.
This brings me to the podcast I have been referencing, and you only need to listen to TWO MINUTES! Jocko Willink did a question and answer segment on The Tim Ferriss Show and one of his answers made me think…or I guess, helped me TO DO. Jocko is a former 20 year Navy Seal commander, jiu-jitsu expert, speaker, writer, entrepreneur and all around bad ass. A normal workout for Jocko is tapping out 20 other Navy Seals. Jocko is a straight to the point guy and I would recommend both of his appearances on Ferris, Rogan as well as his books, Extreme Ownership and The Dichotomy of Leadership. (all linked below)
But for today, I want you to listen to just TWO MINUTES of his Q&A. Listen to how he answers the question “How to stay motivated when every day is a struggle to accomplish goals?” If it helps, pretend this 6’2”, 230 pound trained killer is sitting across the desk from you.
Follow this LINK (listen to minutes 55-57) Tim Ferriss episode #187, Jocko Willink on Discpline… Push play and drag the button to minute 55.
“You know what you have to do, go make yourself do it!”
Motivation is great when it is there, but we need more than that to succeed. We need to write down what we want to accomplish. Write down the steps to get there and find someone or something to help with accountability. Create that habit and work on our routine to find the discipline. DO THE WORK and beat down our goals!
I know mentally, most things are not that simple. But it all comes down to two things….DO, or DON’T! And many times, ACTION can breed motivation.