Discipline vs. Motivation

Read a great blog post the other day that really has stuck with me and I wanted to share some key points in my own words.

Finding motivation is great!  You can be inspired by people around you, people you see everyday, friends, family, etc.  You can be inspired by a professional athlete, a coach, a teacher anyone really.  Motivation oftentimes helps us to stay focused or even to finally get started.  The problem with motivation is that it's externally derived and it ebbs and flows.  You find motivation in OTHERS and it's not permanent.  Think of a rollercoaster, you see someone's achievements, get really inspired to work hard and stick to your plan, it works for a few days, weeks, etc, then invariably without constant "motivation" you slow down, revert and maybe get off track.

Discipline on the other hand, is something YOU do, consistently, every day whether you feel like it or not.  Discipline comes from YOU.  You control the actions tied to your discipline.  Whether it's exercising, practicing meditation, making healthy food choices, spending more time with your family, studying for school, being a better friend, coach, mother, spouse.  You just do it, day in and day out because you know it's the right thing to do and it will absolutely make your goals possible.  You could be having a shitty day, and not feel MOTIVATED to stay on track.  That's an outside force.  It's your DISCIPLINE, your inner strength that is all up to you, that will inevitably be responsible for keeping you on track.

It's still a great idea to search for inspiration, motivation in others.  It's a great way to make your disciplined actions seem easier at times, but it's critical to remember that what you do, your actions, your choices, your behavior starts and ends with you.  Period.  Having a great support system is so helpful but absolutely not necessary. And any lack of motivation or inspiration should not paralyze your efforts or affect your discipline - EVER.

This little mind shift has worked wonders for me.  I'm less concerned about external factors I can't control.  Who is supporting me, who wants to see me succeed, who is trying to push me, who may be discouraging me.  I have to let all of that go and realize that my DISCIPLINE is the only thing I need to ensure I stay on track.  I either have it or I don't.  Every day won't be a  total success, and I'm certain my discipline will have some cracks in it at times.  But I realize that all of my actions are within my ultimate control and I will do what it takes to get what I want.  No motivation necessary.

Let's GOOOOOOO!!

It's Sunday afternoon.  I had the BEST meal last night with some great people and lots of wine.  It was a great way to spend my last Saturday night before I attempt, once again, to consistently maintain some healthy eating habits and to see some physical changes.  Friday was my rock bottom.  2,200 calories worth of miniature chocolates at work.  In addition to breakfast lunch and dinner.  Wasn't much different from the 10-30 days prior, except for the fact that I was finally fed up with my lack of self-control and realized that I couldn't fit into any of my jeans/pants anymore.

The great thing about being fit-"ish" is that you can go a couple weeks, maybe even a month or so eating like crap, and aside from headaches and poor performance, it really does take awhile before your body starts changing for the worse.  The bad thing about that is that you can get away with eating like crap for a really long time and sometimes not notice the ill-effects.  And apparently for me, the headaches and low performance aren't enough to force me to make a change.  It's not until my clothes start feeling super tight do I typically have enough disgust for myself to switch gears.  That in and of itself is worrisome to me, since I try to be an example to others displaying a healthy lifestyle and a healthy body image.  Both of which are just big fat lies sometimes.

I'm on day 1 of yet another journey to get back on track.  My oldest ordered Papa John's Pizza, brownies and chocolate chip cookie. (big sigh).  However, I'm happy to report that I just bagged up the leftovers and threw out the boxes without even so much as a sniff.  Last Sunday, the last 2 slices, the remaining half of the tray of chocolate chip cookie and the 7 brownies would have been in my belly.  So that's a win!!!  I'm a little hungry and a little tired (today's my do-nothing rest day) but so far I've been successful.  One meal at a time for me.

Here's my Sunday:

Meal 1 - Scoop of protein powder, blended with water, ice, Tb Peanut butter and 1 C of spinach.
Meal 2 - Chicken breast with hot sauce, 2C zucchini sautéed in some ghee
Meal 3 - Whole wheat mini bagel with tiny bit of almond butter, Kale salad (the stuff you get from Costco) and a small bowl of ground turkey with taco seasoning.
Meal 4 - Stuffed pepper with ground turkey, brown rice and a slice of provolone cheese
Meal 5 - Scoop of casein in water  Rice cakes with peanut butter

Going to try and post more to keep me accountable.  Stay tuned for the progress.