Does discipline win over motivation?

I recently read an article that struck a nerve with me.

It was written by a fighter pilot and the topic was motivation and discipline.  His viewpoint was that discipline trumps motivation every time.

The fighter pilot said that when it's time to run head first into the enemy you don't feel motivated to do it.  After all you're full of fear and would rather turn and run the other way.  He said rather it's discipline that's so important at this moment. It's the discipline you've developed, your knowledge on the subject, the training and practice. You know what you have to do so you simply do it.



As I read this piece I felt immediately drawn to what he was saying. I realized that although he was referring to war time battle, the same principle applies to just about every area of our lives.

In fact, for many areas of our lives if we only relied on how motivated we felt to do something, nothing would get done.  Am I right?!

I see this often in my private coaching.  Women come to me feeling motivated to make a change. They are tired of the way they look and feel. They know they need a change and at first the prospect of it all is really exciting. 

They feel motivated to do something different.

But then reality begins to set in and the truth is changing the way you eat isn't always a straight, easy road. At this point discipline has to step in and take over. Otherwise you find yourself right back where you started.

When I had  adult acne  so severe that nothing I tried was working,  I began to look at my issue for what it was.
A sign of a deeper rooted problem that needed to be solved.

This is when I decided to change the way I was eating to bring restoration and healing to my body and therefore, ultimately heal my skin.

Motivation didn't play much of a role during this process. Initially, I felt motivated by the prospect of clearer skin but that quickly faded. One thing to understand about using food as medicine, is the results are not always immediate. Obviously, this can feel frustrating. 

More than that is what others around you see.

To my friends and family, the dietary changes I made, seemed extreme (although they really weren't).

People wondered if I was nourishing my body properly. I began to feel a bit of a stigma because I wasn't eating what everyone else was. The biggest struggle was that my skin didn't clear overnight and as it was healing it went through a few purging stages. You know the old adage, "Things get worse before they get better"?  In my case I experienced this. Therefore to those around me it appeared that all my efforts were in vain.


During these times I didn't feel motivated to keep pushing forward and pursue my goal.  In fact, at times I felt downright defeated.  Was I completely crazy?!  This entire process required discipline on my part.  I knew what I needed to do or I would never know the real results.  If I quit half way through I would never realize the truth.

Worse, if I gave in to temptation or peer pressure to be normal and do what everyone else was doing, I'd have to start back at square one.  I had to be disciplined everyday to follow the plan I laid out for myself.



Motivation is overrated.

If you want to accomplish real changes in your life, you have to develop discipline. 

For many of us, this is a struggle to handle on our own.  We need guidance and accountability. 

Ready to take that step towards clearer skin and better health?  Click here and I'll be in touch with you real soon.




Here's the link to the article I referenced http://www.businessinsider.com/top-gun-pilot-dave-berke-discipline-2017-7

 

Have you ever considered the connection between stress and acne?

If you're using quality skin care and your nutrition is on point but your acne still lingers, stress could be the culprit. In my own personal situation, my adult acne flared up because of a stressful event in my life.

Chronic, unresolved stress leaves us with excess inflammation in the body which then leads to a weakened immune system along with an increased likelihood that the body will attack itself, as in autoimmune diseases. All of this will do nothing to help improve your acne and could be a contributing factor as to why your acne lingers.

As for myself, I notice a direct correlation between stress in my life and the appearance of my skin.


How should you deal with this? Obviously, it's not possible to be 100% free of stress 100% of the time. Life presents challenges and unexpected circumstances do arise.

Let me share with you a few key things I recommend you consider.


What gets your thoughts gets you.  What do you spend most of your time thinking about? Answer honestly. It may help to sit in a quiet area and journal for 15 minutes to really figure this out. Let your thoughts come out on paper and see what's in front of you.

Do you find yourself constantly being negative in every situation? Then it may be time for an adjustment.  We have different personalities and some people are naturally more upbeat and positive, while others tend to see the glass as half empty. It may not be in your nature to put a positive spin on things in life. That's okay. I do believe you can train yourself to change your thoughts and the way you speak and think.

 I read somewhere that it's easy for people to be negative. It's easy to see the bad things in life and dwell on those. It's easy to complain and sometimes it even makes us feel good to stew over a situation that upsets us. Here is where you have to consciously decide to stop negative thoughts in their tracks. Like any new habit it will take time to develop but it's one that is worth the effort.

Look at who you surround yourself with. Speaking of your thoughts, what are the thoughts of your friends and co-workers? Are you surrounded by positive people, or habitual grumblers and complainers?

First recognize you can't change the way those around you speak and react to situations. The only person you can control is yourself. However, when you speak positively and keep your cool in stressful situations, it has the potential to spill over onto those around you. Negativity breeds negativity just as happiness breeds happiness.

If you have a friend who is particularly negative all the time consider approaching the person about it. They may not realize what they are doing. If you're not comfortable having the conversation you may want to consider limiting the time you spend with that person.

Remember, you are in control of yourself and your time. It's your choice who you surround yourself with. Choose wisely.

Grieve it, be angry and move on. Things happen in life that upset us. Things don't always go our way.

Someone at the bank may cut in front of you in line. Another driver may cut you off. Someone may make a comment about your clothes that hurts your feelings.

There is no way to stop these inconveniences and hurts from happening. Again, the only part you can control is yourself and your response. How much energy do you put towards the guy who cut you off in traffic? If you need a few minutes to stew, take it. Set a timer for 10 minutes be angry, call a friend and complain and then when the timer ends let it go.

I'll admit this is a tough one for me. When something upsets me I want to be mad for awhile. I realize this does nothing to help me or better my health, and it only gives more power to the person who wronged me. Learn to let the little things go!

Don't worry about that over which you have no control. I confess, this isn't my strong suit. I tend to dwell on things even when all my worrying won't change the outcome.

The truth is many situations in life are this way. No amount of worrying will change anything. What will be, will be.

When a situation arises that has got you stressed, ask yourself, "How much control do I have over this circumstance?". If there is something you can do to better the situation then create a plan and put it into action. If the answer is that you have no control over it, then it's best to put it out of your mind. I find the only way I am ever successful at this is to leave it in God's hands through prayer.

What are your thoughts? How do you manage stress? Please comment and share your ideas you may be an inspiration to someone else!