Motivation vs. Discipline

NOW THAT REBEL IS ROUGHLY 4 MONTHS DEEP INTO OUR OPENING YEAR, WE'RE GOING TO START POSTING SOME OF OUR THOUGHTS, TRAINING RELATED PHILOSOPHIES, AND MUSINGS FOR YOU TO ENJOY.  YES, SOME ARE VERY MUCH TONGUE-IN-CHEEK, AND WE'RE PROUD TO HAVE A LITTLE FUN WITH HOW WE APPROACH FITNESS AND AN INDUSTRY THAT SOMETIMES TAKES ITSELF WAY TOO SERIOUSLY.  STAY TUNED, WE'LL BE PUTTING UP A NEW POST EVERY OTHER WEEK.

Motivation is fickle. When it comes to physical endeavors, you can't rely on a tactic that may can come and go with something as simple as hunger. Motivation, by definition, implies that you will want to make the right choice. And in knowing that will most often NOT be the case, how do we eliminate choice entirely from the equation? How do we stay the course? We turn to discipline. Discipline is making the hard choice, especially when we least want to make it. 

When it all comes down it, you won't be motivated. You won't wake up wanting to lift or row or down dog or eat healthy. Rarely, you might. But most of the time your body will be in revolt and your mind will be asking for everything except the thing that you originally committed to doing. So do yourself a favor, and don't give the keys to your success to such a fleeting and flippant friend. Give them instead to the salty, relentless, and unyielding curmudgeon that is discipline. Don't want to train because you went to bed too late after a few too many episodes on Netflix? Discipline don't care. In fact, much like our woodland companion the honey badger, he just don't give a fuck. Can't summon the energy to cook a half decent meal to stave off the quick run to Chick-fil-a? Discipline don't give a fuuuuuuck. Hard day at work? That's cool, discipline still don't give a fuck. 

Discipline, at its most uncompromising, is simply the other voice in your head reminding you that you are, in fact, a whiny little loser because you couldn't fathom NOT having exactly what it was that you wanted at that very moment in time. So instead of shutting that voice out, listen hard to exactly what it says. If it is telling you that you are weak and that you should maybe get up and actually get at it, then listen! 

When motivation runs astray, as it generally does, discipline chimes in to remind you that your actions don't necessarily have to have an immediate reward. They don't have to feel good in the moment because they lead to a goal that is larger than the sum of its constituent actions. So do exactly what it says and get at it. Pour yourself into whatever it was that you were originally avoiding no matter how small or inconsequential it might actually be. Just ...

Get. 
 
At. 
 
It. 

- Adam Smith, Owner of Rebel Strength & Rowing