Do You Need Motivation or Discipline? Here Is How To Tell The Difference

I think we’ve all heard the saying “motivation is what gets you started, discipline is what keeps you going.” However, at least in my experience, the opposite can be true as well. You may need to work on your discipline first in order to motivate yourself to keep going. With that being said it can be hard to know which one you need, motivation or discipline, in the current situation you are in. 

Reviewing the Basics: Discipline or Motivation

Whether it’s a habit you are trying to create or an activity/project you need to complete, there is no doubt that both motivation and discipline are crucial components. The trick is knowing which one to focus on first. That is what we are going to explore in this post. First let’s take a look at what each term means.

The Act Of Discipline

Discipline is defined as “an activity that one engages in regularly to train or improve oneself,” according to the Merriam Webster dictionary. I like to define it as the act of doing what you need to do, regardless of how you feel. It’s you showing up for yourself even if you aren’t seeing progress, had a bad day, or any other excuse you can think of.

The Feeling of Motivation

On the other hand, motivation is defined by the Merriam Webster dictionary as, “the condition of being eager to act or work.” This is the fun part of the process. You are excited and ready to go. You don’t need to be talked into doing what you need to do, because you are already looking forward to it.

Motivation is the one that most people look for and chase, not knowing they actually need both motivation and discipline at different parts of the journey.

Do You Need Motivation or Discipline? Here Is How To Tell The Difference

There are a lot of narratives out there saying that motivation isn’t as important as discipline. While I agree that discipline is the best tool for long-term success, that doesn’t diminish motivation’s role either. I honestly can’t picture one without the other because they both play important roles.

Certain parts of your journey will require one, while another part of the journey requires the other. Sometimes it can be hard to discern which one you need in your current situation. I’m here to help you with that.

Situations That May Need To Start With Discipline

For the most part, discipline is what is going to help you play the long game. Depending on what you are trying to accomplish, and your mindset around it, you may need to start with discipline.

If it’s something you are not looking forward to doing, but know you need to, that’s usually a sign of needing to start with discipline. Here are some examples for you.

• Starting the process of spring cleaning your entire house
• Starting to look for a new job when your current job is keeping you busy
• Creating a morning routine that has you waking up earlier when you aren’t a morning person

Situations That May Need To Start With Motivation

Most of the time, when starting something new, motivation is the key factor. It’s usually something that fills you with excitement to start, or an outcome you are looking forward to, this is an example of intrinsic motivation.

Another type of motivation is extrinsic motivation. That is a type of motivation where you are looking for outside approval or reinforcement.

Having motivation is a great way to start a new journey, just be wary that the motivation may not last long term. Nonetheless, here are some situations that benefit from starting with motivation. 

• A weight loss/fitness journey
• Starting to learn a new skill
• Planning a vacation or big event

The Ideal Timeline

Hopefully by now you have a good idea of whether you need discipline or motivation right now. Just remember at some point you will need the other as well.

Motivation is exciting and powerful, but discipline will be your friend when life gets hard. Ideally this is how I picture the best route being between the two when starting something like a fitness journey or finding a new job.

• It starts with motivation: You are excited for the prospect of your life changing and you hit the ground running.
• Discipline is necessary when things start to stall: Eventually you’ll run into a plateau where progress seems to be stalling and you lack any good news or fail hit any goals recently. This is where you need discipline to get through the hard moments. If you start wondering “what’s the point?” or something similar, it’s time to rely on discipline.
• The small wins bring back motivation: When you start noticing you are getting stronger, or getting calls to set up interviews, that gets you excited about your journey again. Motivation has come back, make the most of it.
• Life starts getting hard, but you still have work to do: Discipline is what will keep you going here. When the weather is too bad for an outdoor run, or your current job tasks are piling up, the decisions you make will make all the difference in your journey. Choose to keep going as scheduled, even in the hard.
• The end is in sight, you are more motivated than ever: There is nothing more exciting than the feelings you get when you are close to reaching a goal. You are so close, but there is still a little more to do. Finish strong!

Final Thoughts on Needing Motivation or Discipline

You see how there is a balance between both discipline and motivation? Keep that in mind whenever you start towards a new goal. If you lean on both of these, I have no doubt that you will accomplish what you set out to do. If you need some resources on how to develop both motivation and discipline, check out these posts and podcast episodes.

16 of the Best Books For Motivation and Self Confidence

4 Theories of Motivation Explained

25 Top Best Books on Discipline For Self-Control

How to become more disciplined: 7 tips for self-discipline

How To Trick Your Brain Into Liking Discipline

Discipline is Useless Without This

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