Discipline over motivation for getting things done

in my opinion, motivation gets the engine started, and discipline keeps the wheels rolling. Motivation is the spark that gets my butt out of the chair or off the couch. Discipline grows. At first I walk powered by the energy of pure motivation, pure hope. Then discipline kicks in as a routine develops, and soon… 21 days or 90 days… the routine, the discipline can carry me, my body, my will… to take action for my well-being/ health. Motivation is e-motion. Disciple is intellectual, stern, rational. To my mind I need them both. And they reinforce each other. But without motivation to get the ball rolling, or the butt out of the chair,… and having developed no routine, hence discipline… I suppose I gotta turn to courage, faith, curiosity, … some other emotion- to get the ball rolling… to get the day started. I have discipline. I don’t know where to apply it. So motivation matters more to me.

Motivation matters more to me because it gets me outside and going. I have discipline, I can stick to a routine… I don’t know where to apply it because I don’t feel motivated. Motivation seems blocked by heavier emotions.

Discipline without motivation won't last long and motivation without discipline will remain as an idea in a cloud...

What's important here is that we need to

constantly feed motivation

(notice how this action in itself requires discipline).

We need to constantly get small rewards to keep motivation alive, which will allow us to keep holding onto our discipline. They both need each other and none of them on their own is able to achieve the final goal.

If I set a discipline that lets me achieve small goals I will be motivated to stick to my plan and achieve a larger goal.

@Hope My therapist once told me that I would likely never feel motivated, but that I can act without it. This leads me to believe that discipline would be the basis for my progress.

Discipline because what if you're having a bad day/week? Are you just gonna shut down and think everything's gonna be okay? Someone who is more disciplined would frown upon that because they too could be feeling the blues once in a while, but they don't let that bother them.

@Hope I believe that motivation and discipline are both important. Discipline might be better in the case of exercising. While motivation might be pushing you when you start, to consistently exercise everyday you would need discipline. You can lose motivation halfway through and stop exercising but if you have discipline, it will push you from start to end to help you achieve your goal. Speaking of which, I need to work on my self-discipline.

@Hope

I heavily believe in balance and the ability to find what works best for you! For example, as someone with ADHD, discipline is a slippery slope. Routine itself is hard to stick to. Motivation is a rare opportunity for me, as I am sure for many other folks. However, with ADHD, finding the motivation or even the desire to do something is really hard! I guess what I am saying here is, once I do feel motivated, I get so much work done. Discipline, the way my brain perceives it, is more of a punishment system, and that doesn't make me feel good. Of course, everyone is different! This is just what works for me!

Any fellow ADHD/neurodivergent folks (or anyone for that matter!) here have anything they relate to/do not relate to what I have shared? I would love you hear your thoughts!

Discipline is needed to feel motivated sometimes.

@Hope

I think both are false

I would say it is about energy

Motivation is about attempting to instil energy in yourself

Discipline is about taking your energy and forcing it into a path

I don't think either are good or necessary

It's like a sugar rush and slump. It is better to be on a constant level than up and down

I go to the gym maybe 5 times a week

There is no motivation required

There is also no discipline involved. Not in the strict sense anyway

I do it because I like it, as a whole. I don't need to feel pumped, I don't try to do a "great" workout and put max effort in. All that stuff is an energy trick, up and down, highs and lows. It's way too much energy expelled longterm

I go to the gym, I do a workout that I reasonably enjoy and then I leave

Consistency is the medium ground, better than motivation and discipline. Consistency is easy because it is simply doing something today and then doing something tomorrow, etc

Ironically though, consistency is psychologically the hardest because its easy yet requires PATIENCE

It's far easier psychologically to pt in great effort today and then not feel motivated next time so not bother. It's harder psychologically to do something today and do it tomorrow and do it the next day, without feeling hyped or motivated or drained or anything else - you just do

My thoughts..

@Hope

Discipline personally and I think most people will agree. Sometimes we feel extremely uneasy to the point waking up in the morning can be a really challenging task. I have been depressed for the past few years and I get occasional boosts of motivation and I try to get my life together, then the next day, I fell into this void back again with no hope and no idea for the future.This was me years ago, when everything around me fell apart, education, finance, health and loved people dying and so much more .It was harsh, honestly I just didn’t think life was worth living.Then I came across the speeches of suicide survivors then I realized how much of a mistake will be if I did that. Then I started planning everyday, made a checklist, I didn’t check all the points but I see myself getting much more put together .Then I realized that no matter how demotivated we feel, having a plan and being disciplined will keep us moving on. The world isn’t fair, I know . But I would rather move on and live the life I was given than be a victim and just fall apart. And I have learned the hard way despite of my age, life isn’t something to be taken for granted.People come and go, things lose and return , by not moving on and being stuck on the pedals of the bicycle of life, we can’t pedal to move forward.