Move Over Motivation, We Need To Be Disciplined

When I learned about the One Word concept I usually never had a problem finding a word that spoke to me, it was usually a somewhat easy process at the beginning of the year. This year was different, I went through literally hundreds of words but it never felt like I had the right one. If you've never done a One Word before, I highly recommend it. Goals and resolutions are too complex, we never remember them and they fade from memory too quickly leaving us feeling guilty when we remember them. But One Word, that is something you can tape by your monitor or on your mirror, look at it countless times of day to remind yourself what this year is all about. I'm late to the game but for me my word for 2018 is Discipline.

When I look back at words I thought about discipline was there, but I'm guessing I didn't really want that to be my word. Discipline doesn't sound fun, it sounds punitive. But discipline is not about punishment, it is controlling your own behaviors to achieve a desired result. We talk a lot in society about motivation, finding the motivation to take on a challenge, work towards a goal, etc. This is why we often don't achieve the goals we want, motivation to me is more of a feeling. Motivation is hoping that I feel like doing what I need to today to achieve my goals. Discipline is just doing it. Success in anything is achieved by countless repetitions and perfecting our art. Success comes to people that are disciplined to daily do the work. Chances are you know what you need to be doing every day, I know I do. I'm done trying to find the motivation to accomplish something, I'm just going to start doing it.