One Person Project

We are really good at sticking to our regular daily routine, getting up at a particular time, doing our job, getting off at a specific time, etc. Even when life throws change our way—like getting married, having kids, moving to a new area, or changing jobs —we adapt pretty well. People tend to have more difficulty staying consistent when it comes to optional changes. We like our routines, habits, and behaviors because they feel safe to us. The brain is programmed to scan for danger, so any change signals danger to our minds. Our habits have created pathways in our brains that require less energy to perform; this is why it feels like a Herculean task to go to the gym when you first start working out, or to resist grabbing a burger on the way home after work rather than cooking a healthy meal. Most of the time, we have to force ourselves to stick with a new habit when we first start. This process of pushing ourselves to do something is called discipline.

Going to the gym, working extra hours to get the promotion, sticking to healthy eating habits, or stopping a bad habit like drinking or smoking all seem like tasks that would take motivation, but really, what it takes is discipline. Discipline and motivation are very often used interchangeably, but you need to be disciplined before motivation happens. Discipline is getting up early to go for a run, even when your entire being just wants to snuggle up in the blanket and hit snooze, it’s staying late at work to get your to-do list finished instead of going with friends to dinner, or saying no to a drink when you’re at a party because you want to stop drinking. Motivation is the feeling of wanting to do something; discipline is doing it no matter how you feel. I recently cut down on my alcohol consumption. I was an alcoholic, I wasn’t to the point of drinking during the day, but after my kids went to sleep, I would have a drink or 4 every night. This went on for years. I finally got sick of feeling foggy-headed, tired, bloated, and moody. I chose to cut down significantly, sticking to only having a drink on the weekend. It was tough to not pick up a cosmopolitan from the station on the way home, but the longer I went without a drink, the better I started to feel. Motivation isn’t what kept the bottle from my lips; discipline was. It was such a struggle to say no to myself at first; I had to force myself to make the choice. My motivation to stop drinking was for me to feel better and be better, but discipline is what made the decision stick. If you want to make a change in your life, it helps to take steps that make it easier to stay disciplined. For example, eating healthy, keeping a food journal, avoiding junk food, or creating a grocery list and ordering a pickup or delivery so you won’t impulsively buy anything are actions you can take to stick to your healthy new habit. If you want to work out or start jogging each morning, set out your gym clothes and running shoes the night before, set an alarm, and place it far out of your reach so you have to get up to shut it off, or get an accountability partner. Discipline is a complicated thing to master because you have to say yes even when you desperately want to say no, and it’s consistently doing something when your brain is making up a thousand excuses to stop.

With discipline comes consistency. To be disciplined is to be consistent. Most goals are not accomplished by doing something one time. You can’t get a promotion by giving an excellent presentation once. You aren’t going to become stronger by doing one rep and calling it quits. No one becomes great at anything by only trying once. It requires consistency. Ask any professional athlete how much they practiced before going pro, and the answer will be that they practiced constantly and consistently. Writers, singers, or artist practice their craft for a lifetime; they don’t create once and then stop. You have to stay disciplined to keep up consistency so you can make a fundamental change in your life. Push through, especially on the days when you really don’t feel like doing anything. Journal, write tasks down on your calendar, put reminders in your phone, track progress, and do anything that will keep your goals at the forefront of your mind. This will help discipline to overcome complacency.