Motivation vs Discipline: Which is Better?

2023 is less than 2 months away. You may already have started thinking about new year goals. When setting personal and professional goals, you are motivated to turn around your life. But you often lose motivation by the end of January.

Is that so?

Then the reason is that you lacked the discipline to take action for a better future. Now you may be confused about the difference between motivation vs discipline. And you may wonder, what is more important motivation or discipline?

Am I right?

The terms are related to some extent. But let me tell you they are both important for making your dreams come true. You need to motivate yourself and develop self-discipline to stay on the right path.

Motivation vs Discipline: What’s the Difference?

Before we dig deeper into motivation vs. discipline differences, let’s first find out what is the meaning of both terms.

What is Motivation?

Motivation is the driving force behind your actions. It makes you set certain goals or take specific actions due to the anticipation of results. You are motivated when you aren’t satisfied with your current circumstances. Thus, you initiate an action or process to change the environment or yourself.

For instance, you may realize you need better and more financial means to build wealth. So, you are motivated to start a side hustle.

There are generally two types of motivation: Intrinsic and extrinsic.

Intrinsic motivation is your inner desire to do something. You may do it for the positive change and feelings it brings. On the other hand, extrinsic motivation is when there are external factors involved. This may include rewards in the form of a cash incentive, medal, or social recognition.

What Do You Mean by Discipline?

Discipline is a choice and way of life. It’s when you create a system of standards and apply them in your everyday life. The purpose is to achieve meaningful goals such as improving your lifestyle.

You can build discipline through internal driving factors.

Let’s take an example. You want to learn a new skill; let’s say you want to learn to code. You have a busy routine. But you decide to dedicate 2 hours per day to master the skill.

Now, it’s not easy to stick to your goal and spend two hours per day on learning. But you set your priorities right and stay in control despite distractions. This means you have built discipline which is why you were able to work toward your goal.

Key Differences

Rushcutters Health simplifies the difference between discipline and motivation by declaring motivation as a noun and Discipline as a verb.

Motivation is the desire to do something. At this stage, there’s no action involved. Also, it’s not always in your control to feel motivated. But discipline comes in when you start taking action to achieve that goal. And it’s in your control to build discipline and bring a change through action.

Further, discipline can take you to places where motivation can’t. It’s easy to set a goal such as adopting a healthy lifestyle when you are motivated. But motivation may not last long. So, it’s your choice to stay disciplined. This will help you achieve that goal through actions such as exercising and having a healthy diet.

Motivation can kick in anytime and is beyond your control. But building discipline is very much your choice and is often challenging.

Motivation is a feeling that drives you to set a goal. But without long-term discipline, you may not be able to accomplish the desired results. So, the former is temporary, but the latter is permanent.

What are Some Benefits of Discipline and Motivation?

Motivation is valuable since it drives you to bring a positive change in your own life or that of others. It encourages you to think about what’s good for you and make difficult decisions.

It gives you an insight into your current lifestyle so you can come up with a plan to overcome bad habits. Also, motivation brings along feelings of happiness and optimism which are the keys to a happy life. Whether it’s a personal or professional goal, you can push yourself in the right direction through motivation.

Discipline is a lifestyle that keeps you on track. You can develop habits that benefit you while keeping distractions at bay. If you are a serial procrastinator, you’d certainly benefit from building discipline.

When you delay important tasks or ignore your goals, you feel bad. Then you blame yourself and become unhappy. But with self-discipline, you can improve your lifestyle and feel good about yourself and your accomplishments.

Also, discipline helps you manage unhealthy temptations. So, you can stay healthy through better life choices.

How to Build Self-Discipline?

Adding discipline to your lifestyle helps you build good habits. When you have a haphazard lifestyle, building discipline may seem like a hassle. But think of its long-term benefits.

Now, ready to take the path through which you can build self-discipline? Here are a few tips to make the process easier:

• Stay positive and trust yourself
• Identify the factors that stop you from being disciplined
• Determine when your productivity is at its peak. Then create a schedule to finish important tasks in that time slot
• Set goals and write them down. It’s ideal to break them down into smaller goals with clear and time-bound action plans
• You need to work even when you aren’t in the mood
• Breaks and vacations are important. Plan them too
• You may slip and fail to follow your self-discipline routine sometimes. It’s okay! Forgive yourself and start over
• Measure daily progress and learn from your mistakes
• Reward yourself for accomplishments
• Involve close friends or family to hold you accountable

You should strive to make discipline a part of your personality.

For example, you need to work on an important project for your business. But you feel the urge to chat with friends or play video games instead of working. Instead of forcing yourself, reaffirm your identity. Remind yourself that you are a diligent worker who prefers finishing tasks before having fun. With a positive mindset, it’s easier to live a disciplined life.

Best Books about Self-Discipline

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Building discipline may be difficult, but it’s rewarding. Learn from the lifestyle of accomplished people by reading biographies. Also, we have prepared a short list of the best books about self-discipline. They can teach you all about the topic.

Redeeming Your Time: 7 Biblical Principles for Being Purposeful, Present, and Wildly Productive by Jordan Raynor is an interesting one. The author shares practical examples of how you can better build discipline.

Mindful Self-Discipline: Living with Purpose and Achieving Your Goals in a World of Distractions by Giovanni Dienstmann. It’s a long read. But this contains valuable information about developing good habits via self-discipline.

The Science of Self-Discipline: The Willpower, Mental Toughness, and Self-Control to Resist Temptation and Achieve Your Goals by Peter Hollins is a great resource. The book series guides you about issues that can stop you from being disciplined and helps you resolve those issues.

Finding the Right Balance

There are a few differences between motivation and discipline. But both of them are valuable in your life. With the right mindset, you can use both of them to your advantage.

For this purpose, you need to understand the factors that motivate you. Similarly, you should explore how you can build discipline in life.

Motivation can be achieved through internal or external factors. For instance, you may feel motivated due to the potential rewards of hard work. Or the fear of negative consequences can also motivate you to work hard and smart.

When it comes to building discipline, mental strength is necessary. With a strong mindset, you’ll find it easier to stay focused. You can condition yourself to improve self-discipline and push yourself in the right direction.

Further, set ambitious yet smart goals with a precise action plan. Now you need to act upon this action plan even if you feel lazy. Follow a suitable routine. When you don’t want to do it, think about the rewards it will bring. Then you will notice with time that discipline has become a part of your identity!