How many times have you had the intention to start a new habit or get something done, only to find that you just never got around to it? How many of you wish you had more discipline so that you could get things done?
I’ve got important news for you: discipline is a myth.
That’s right, there is no such thing as discipline. It doesn’t exist. No one has it, no one ever will. Discipline is just a name we give to a different concept entirely. What’s that other concept? Motivation.
Everything we do, every choice we make, is based entirely upon the sum total of our motivations. We’re motivated by pleasure and by pain. We’re motivated by thoughts, ideas, and the actions of others. We’re motivated by our bodies, our minds, our hearts, and our spirits.
We have many motivations, and some of them are conflicting. My tongue wants that donut, but my pancreas doesn’t. My heart wants the pleasure of falling in love but my mind doesn’t want to experience the pain like last time. My spirit wants to be free, but my heart is afraid of what I might lose to get there.
When motivations conflict, we tend to become either indecisive (playing the what-if game) or regretful (playing the I-wish-I-had game). Since what-if is more fun than I-wish-I-had, we learn to avoid motivational decisions and put things off.
The people around us call this a lack of discipline. “It’s because you lack discipline,” they say, and then tell us all about their time in the military or during some personal transition or even in their life.
But it isn’t about discipline. It’s about conflicting motivations. Get your motivations consistent with each other and you start to accomplish things. Conflicting motivations go away when your body, mind, heart, and soul are in agreement about what you want.
If you are motivated to do something for the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual benefits, you are more likely to do it than if you just “think you should”. It could be going to the gym, running, hiking, dancing, or any other form of exercise. It could be reading literature instead of pulp fiction. It could be falling in love instead of closing off intimacy. It could be meditating or taking up art or learning to live in the now instead of watching TV.
Anything that “takes discipline” really just takes an alignment of your motivations. Yes, discipline is a myth.
In the news
- Good news on the communicable diseases front: HIV in South Africa ‘levels off’
- Good news on the cancer front: Way to stop cancers seed in brain
- Good news on the vision front: Oily fish ‘can halt eye disease’
Quote for the week
People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity, no matter how impressive their other talents. – Andrew Carnegie
Healthy thoughts,
Jeff
