discipline over motivation

recently i listened to a podcast.. can't remember the exact one, but i think it might be either rangan chatterjee, jay shetty, or healthygamer...

i sometimes like to tune in to these podcasts either because of a specific guest i am interested in, or because i need to be reminded of these simple ideas that we (or maybe just i) tend to forget.

when work gets a little busy, personal things happen or life in general is just being distracting.. i start taking shortcuts. i do random things. i feel no clear purpose. and not in a very dramatic way... but just subtly.

and then all of a sudden i quit something i really was enjoying working on. or suddenly i haven't done and physical exercise for weeks.

i'd like to prevent that from happening. some things in life are just important. staying healthy, keeping stress levels manageable and feeling some direction and purpose are vital to me.

that's where these podcasts come in. and especially the energy and ideas they share. you probably have heard the ideas they often talk about before. maybe in another package, or from another perspective... but that's kind of the point. you are reminded. and reminded. and again reminded.

until you can internalise and turn ideas that speak to you and your lifestyle into patterns.

and at that point it's not really about motivation anymore, but about discipline. because we all lose motivation. it comes and goes. but when you establish strong patterns, then you just need a small pinch of discipline to keep you going.

and whether that means you keep doing an exercise routine, or you write a few words every day.. it doesn't really matter. your being just naturally knows that this thing is required, so it readies itself for it. now you just need to let go. it's like magic.