What pushes your buttons?
Knowing the exact outcome you want is an essential part of having self-discipline. You must be able to name it, describe it, and feel it. Otherwise, you are just forcing yourself into discomfort with the vague idea that you should be doing it. It is like marching in an army and not being sure whom you are going to fight or even why you are there.
It is impossible to maintain discipline without having a clear idea in your mind what you want to do. Of course, everybody is motivated by different things and in different ways, but there are some universal motivations we can consider. Finding the specific ways that you are motivated is paramount to accomplishing long-term goals, as it allows you more fuel to achieve; it is dangerous to rely solely on self-discipline.
If we all had an infinite supply of motivation, maybe things like laziness, sloth, distractions, and temptations would cease to be problems. In reality, though, sustaining peak levels of motivation is a difficult proposition for even the most passionate of people. That is why it is important to pinpoint what drives you.
Discovering motivation
Feeling motivated typically involves being excited about something. But unfortunately—for all but a lucky few—much of our daily lives must be devoted to doing things that are not all that exciting. This might even apply to our jobs or careers. In those times, there can be immense benefits to figuring out what powerful motivators you have that you may not have realized yet about yourself. Remembering the “why” behind your actions keeps you grounded and gives you the fuel to push through difficulties.
An in-depth analysis of more than 12,000 employee diary entries showed that the top motivator for workplace productivity was not financially or status driven. People were most incentivized to work by the feeling of making consistent progress toward a meaningful goal. The feeling that they were improving, getting better, and generally growing. Promises of bonuses, raises, and even recognition are not going to make employees work harder; tying their work into self-development or an overarching goal will.
On one hand, the study proves that money is a powerful short-term motivator. It is the lowest hanging fruit and most obvious cure for our problems and unhappiness. But at a certain point, it almost stops mattering. On the other hand, it seems that being invested in accomplishing a goal proved to be more sustainable and effective in the long-term. When there is a challenge you want to overcome and surmount, it keeps you on your toes and keeps you motivated just for the sake of triumphing.
These somewhat surprising results prompted the researchers to wonder what else impacts our work ethic and self-discipline. In addition to feelings of progress and investment, they have since come up with three main categories of motivation: autonomy, mastery, and purpose.
Our desire for autonomy means that we want to call our own shots and direct our own lives. Often the most beneficial way to help others be more productive and engaged is to simply get out of their way and let them pursue their own ideas while following their own intuition.
The second motivator, mastery, refers to our innate urge to get better at things. Anybody who is highly driven by the idea of mastering their craft will be much more willing to make sacrifices and be disciplined in their pursuit than the typical person. Also—because truly mastering a craft is virtually impossible, there is a never-ending drive.
And then there is purpose—the feeling or intention that we can have an impact on the world. In many cases, discipline without purpose will probably just feel like pointless suffering. Somebody who does not feel called to help people who are sick or injured probably will not be as disciplined in medical school as somebody who does, for example. Desiring to live meaningfully and to contribute something useful to society is an integral part of being human. Someone who runs a charity will probably be imbued with greater motivation than someone who only contributes to the bank of them.
Extrinsic versus intrinsic motivation
Though there are many types and flavours, all of your personal motivators will ultimately fall into two basic categories: extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic motivation refers to that which depends on other people, environmental factors, or social factors. Intrinsic motivation, meanwhile, is dependent on the self and is based mostly on personal needs and wants.
Both kinds of motivation can be utilised effectively, but it is important to be honest in your assessment of which category your various motivations fall into. That awareness will determine how you reward yourself for good discipline and punish yourself when your discipline lapses. Namely, many people like to categorise themselves as having intrinsic motivators when they are almost exclusively extrinsically motivated.
Extrinsic motivators can also include pleasure-seeking, positive reinforcement, and even bribery. Our drives to accumulate wealth, reproduce, and achieve social status all fall into this category. This is when we do things for other people, rather than ourselves. They are the types of motivators that make us feel vulnerable to judgment.
We are also extrinsically motivated by avoiding suffering in the form of pain, fear, negative reinforcement, threats, and current unhappiness, among other things. People generally want to be comfortable and happy as much as possible, but it often requires enough of one or more of these negative motivators to force us to be disciplined about making a change.
Yet the biggest extrinsic motivation is how we are perceived by others. It is reported that Buddhist monks can dedicate immense amounts of their lives to learning how to NOT act as a result of their ego, pride, insecurity, or desire for power—but those things can be the driving forces behind our success in the material world. “Being socially successful and highly viewed by others is enough to drive some people to accomplish truly amazing things.” As long as you honestly recognize that about yourself and do not pretend to be someone you are not.
For many other people, success comes after letting go of extrinsic motivators and being introspective about intrinsic motivators—our personal needs and wants.
We all need food, water, and shelter for survival, as well as human connection for mental stability. If you are lacking in those things, everything else will take a back seat to your pursuit of the essentials for your survival.
After getting those basic needs taken care of, the next thing that we intrinsically desire is personal satisfaction and fulfillment. This might mean having work that is extremely interesting or has a positive impact on others, or being satisfied and fulfilled by personal relationships with friends and family members.
Satisfaction and fulfillment often come in the form of achievement, as well as personal growth and improvement. Some of the most disciplined people on the planet—world-class athletes—are likely motivated by both of these feelings as they put in the countless hours of practice and preparation required to compete at the highest level in their respective sports.
Ultimately, what is important in terms of discipline is simply that you are motivated and that you recognize those motivations. Maintaining discipline is impossible without having sufficient motivation, and likewise the achievement of intrinsic and extrinsic goals is not possible without being disciplined.
Most people think of motivation only in the positive sense, believing that with a little more motivation they could work harder and be more successful. When it comes to discipline, though, motivation itself is neutral. Your understanding of what motivates you to act both positively and negatively will determine how effectively you can exercise discipline in order to achieve your goals.
It is up to you to be disciplined enough to avoid and resist negative motivators and to have a clear understanding of the positive motivators that can help you maintain self-discipline.
BY CAPT SAM ADDAIH (RTD)
