A year ago, standing on the cold and windy streets of Atlanta, I cheered for the Olympic Trial contenders. So many motivated and disciplined athletes all intent on a singular purpose. Securing a position on the United States Olympic Marathon Team. A simple goal, but the challenge to accomplish the goal is tremendously difficult.
Fast forward one year, the COVID 19 pandemic postponed the Olympics and the entire running world ground to a halt. Virtual events and time trials became a fall back to traditional races, and runners had few options to fill the racing void.
Motivation waned. Pursuing a specific goal is challenging. However, pursuing goals requiring a programmed schedule, while lacking a timetable is substantially more difficult.
Motivation means the act of or process of motivation… which is a pretty circular definition. Looking at some synonyms, words like momentum, stimulant, spur, boost, encouragement pop up and make more sense.
If motivation fluctuates, what else is needed too, “Get up and get out of the door?”
Discipline means prescribed conduct or orderly, a pattern of behavior, or self-control.
Discipline is related to how we react to our perception and adapt to our reality of a situation. As runners, we don’t control our access to an in-person race, but we create our running goals and the steps we take to achieve them.
Showing up every day to your workout indicates discipline. You will not crush every training day, some will be pretty rough, but it is the consistency of showing up that pushes the needle toward long-term progress.
Discipline and motivation intertwined become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Motivation sparks excitement. Discipline is the backbone supporting long-term progress. Motivation might fluctuate, but it is a potent catalyst in developing discipline.
Use today to set a non-race-specific goal and practice using the dynamic duo of motivation and discipline to work toward your goals.