The Importance of Discipline

When it comes to creating artwork, being creative and finding motivation have been the most difficult thing for me. I used to frequently feel motivated to work, but would sit down at the computer and have no idea what to do. There are a few different ways that I deal with this, but the most helpful way for me is to take advantage of every single minute that I do feel creative. If my mind is really flowing, I break out my notepad and write down everything. I have pages and pages of ideas for all different kinds of projects, each with details on how I would create it. By doing this, I am able to look back and be reminded of the ideas I had, so I can find inspiration when I'm not feeling particularly creative. This has made a huge difference for me.

As for motivation, I've never met the guy. From my very first homework assignment, I've struggled finding the motivation for work. Whether my parents punished me for my bad grades or rewarded me for my good grades, I never felt very motivated to do anything. I was a little more motivated to do things that I liked, but it was still a struggle to consistently work on a hobby or pastime. I've always thought of myself as a lazy underachiever, and someone that could do great things if I could just make myself get up and get to work. I spent a lot of time searching for sources of motivation, and tried many different things, but I always ended up losing motivation quickly.

Recently, I realized something that changed me completely. As I was sitting around contemplating life as I tend to do in the middle of the night, something clicked. I was thinking about why I couldn't find motivation for anything, and it suddenly dawned on me. I don't need motivation. I need discipline. Motivation is great, and you should use effective sources of motivation if you have any, but discipline is much more important. Discipline is what makes you get up and work even when you don't have the motivation to. As I sat there and thought about it, the most successful people I know personally are incredibly disciplined and do what they need to do regardless of how they're feeling. It became increasingly clear to me that discipline was what I needed to focus on.

Self-discipline is something that comes naturally for some, while others develop self-discipline as a result of strict parenting. As for me, I'm as far from natural as possible, and strict parenting just made me shut down and refuse to do anything. However, I have made a lot of progress, and I feel that I can honestly say self-discipline is now a strong trait of mine. I made it a point to be disciplined in every single aspect of my life, not just what I felt like changing. I started keeping a checklist of every single thing I need to do to get ready in the morning and prepare for bed. I've been very strict on myself with bad habits like chewing my nails and biting my lip. I've started going to bed at a consistent time and actually waking up before noon. As I've been getting more consistent with my daily routine and getting things done despite how I feel, I've also become more consistent with my work. I've been making a habit of keeping my space clean to help me focus, and have been organizing everything when I make it rather than doing it after spending an hour looking for things. I'm not quite where I want to be, but I'm exponentially better than I was just a month ago.

This isn't going to be easy for me. I have to re-teach myself to do a lot of things differently. I have to get rid of bad habits that I've had for my whole life and start making new habits. Being strict with myself and refusing to give myself unnecessary breaks is tough, but there is something that helps me a lot. If I talk to myself as I would with my friends, I have a much easier time to convince myself to do things properly. I always encourage my friends to do the best that they can and push themselves to be better, but I never used to treat myself with the same attitude. Now that I've started expecting the highest of myself and not making excuses, my life has become much more consistent and I've been able to accomplish so much more than before.

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If you'd like to share your experience with motivation and discipline, you can use Facebook to comment at the bottom of this page, or click the "Contact Me" button at the top. If you're interested in following my work, I have a Twitter and Instagram that I update twice a week. Feel free to contact me on either and share your ideas!