Often, I find myself unable to strike a balance between motivation and discipline and wonder if there is an ideal proportion for the two in the recipe for success. I am the kind of person who loves lists and striking things off my to-do lists. If you are that kind of person, definitely read on!
There are days when I am full of rigour and passion- on those lucky days, my spirits are higher than ever, and my motivated self will check every box on my list. Then there are days (admittedly occur more often) I have absolutely no goal in mind and lethargy completely encompasses me. I feel like I am stuck in a rut, and it is a feeling I would ideally not dwell upon.
More than actually needing the motivation to work, I think I spend more time thinking about how much I need to do rather than actually using that time constructively. I desperately needed some guidance or someone to shine some light upon my predicament, so I instinctively turned to my father. Quite effortlessly, he said, “Do what you have to do. Stop thinking about the amount of work you have or the kind of results your work will manifest because if you work hard enough, the results will unquestionably be in your favour.”. That mindset changed my outlook towards my work.
Though there are still days I wished I was slightly more motivated, but I understood that there is a very fine line between motivation and discipline. One could completely lack focus on a particular day, but discipline towards their work could knock the need for motivation outside the window. Discipline towards our work also increases our self-confidence because at the end of the day, we kept our word and finished that assignment even though that meant 2ams and 3 cups of coffee!
I happened to read this quote somewhere but unfortunately do not remember who it was by- it went something like, “Discipline will take you places motivation can’t go”, and I could not think of a quote more apt for this thought piece!
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