January 2nd 2014
Self-Discipline (noun): Correction or regulation of oneself or one’s behavior especially with the intent of personal improvement
Welp, I must admit: there’s perks to being in college, particularly not having to go back to school immediately after the holidays. But being back home I realize how much easier it would be to eat conveniently rather than cleanly. Since I’ve started eating healthy, my track record hasn’t been perfect, there’s been a few roadblocks and delays, but I’ve stayed on track. I’m not going to lie, sometimes it’s a massive pain but I’ve always thrown myself into things I put my heart into. I’d be lying if I said I’ve never given up on anything, but most of the things I’ve given up on I’ve fully convinced myself that I would be better off. If I’ve ever used the excuse that something was “too difficult,” I was probably lying and didn’t want it enough. Which brings me to my main point.
Self-discipline is great. Being able to pursue something despite temptations to abandon it. The act of denying yourself, controlling your impulses, rejecting instant pleasure, comfort, satisfaction, or gratification in favor of something better, a higher goal. The ability to stick to actions, thoughts, and behavior, which lead to improvement and success. Discipline even when no one else is around to watch. Perseverance, restraint, endurance. Self-discipline can be a great path towards success.
But I don’t always think it’s enough. Self-discipline is often driven by motivation, and motivation is often external. What I mean is that so many people rely on motivation and that motivation can cease to be important enough at any moment. External motivation can be a great thing, but if the only reason you are doing something is because you feel you should do it or you feel obligated or you want to impress someone else, then it’s most likely going to be a pain to accomplish that task. In my opinion, inspiration is far better than any motivation you can imagine.
Yes, often the terms are interchangeable and you may disagree that they are as different as I think they are, but the little nuances stand out to me. To me inspiration is embracing that you should be your own worst critic. Not in a self-defeating way, but in a way that you realize that everything you do or fail to do should matter to you. It shouldn’t be for show, for anyone else, unless for you as well. Motivation pushes you, while inspiration is a pull from within. Motivation gets you by, inspiration fills you up. With motivation, you sometimes have to push yourself not to procrastinate. With inspiration you have to hold yourself back from starting right now. A highly motivated person gets a hold of an idea and carries it through to its conclusion. Inspiration is the reverse. An idea gets a hold of you and carries you where you are intended to go.
“Because I want to,” although vague, is a far better reason for doing something than “because I should.” Don’t get me wrong there are a bunch of things you shouldn’t just do because you want to, but what if your “wants” and “shoulds” were aligned, so perfectly, that in a way the things that are your motivations were ultimately one in the same with your inspirations. Your push and your pull working in unison to bring you further than ever. Your motivation uninterrupted by your desires and your desires not restrained by your motivation. This is the ultimate path to any success.
Posted by Shaunté Symone on 2014-01-03 02:13:49
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