“I Don’t Have Motivation I Have Discipline”
It’s the evening of the 19th July, London, England, more specifically inside the press room of Wembley stadium. An hour before the Ukranian boxer Oleksander Usyk has masterfully dismissed his opponent, becoming undisputed heavyweight champion of the world for the second time. A reporter poses a question to the champ, “how do you still find the motivation to fight?” the 38 year old Usyk pauses, raises his eyebrows before responding “listen bro. I don’t have motivation. I have Discipline”
Motivation is a powerful force, a rare alignment of the psyche through which our purpose becomes obvious. Potent yet temporary, It’s important we capitalize on this impulse. Not by diving headfirst into our goals but by laying the groundwork, the systems and routines that will carry us towards them even when our motivation wavers. Past this point, the only thing standing between you and your desires is the discipline to execute your plan. The spark from a cars ignition might create the conditions for motion but the repetitive driving of the piston maintains it.
When we experience a downswing in motivation we might mistakenly come to believe our goal isn’t worthwhile. In Stephen Pressfield’s bestseller “the war on art”, he expounds on the necessity of overcoming this inner “resistance”, the antithesis of motivation that we experience more often than not. “The most important thing about art is to work. Nothing else matters except sitting down every day and trying.” he distinguishes between an “amateur” that only creates when circumstances are perfect and a “professional” who has the discipline to show up every day, regardless of their inner state.
If professional athletes, artists and writers, ostensibly carrying out their life’s work, falter from time to time, it’s reasonable to assume we will too. Motivation has not and never will be the default. To quote Usyk, “motivation is good but, errrr, dicipline is better”
If you enjoyed this post you might like to try the HabitAid Blueprint, a free online quiz that helps clarify your goals and set out a framework to achieve them. To learn more visit the HabitAid homepage
Thanks for reading,
Mike