Warren Dostie

There have been many experts and influencers on the internet lately saying, "Forget motivation; what you need is discipline. Motivation is useless." I say they are grossly oversimplifying things. Motivation and discipline are equally important—both are essential.

Motivation is the reason behind any action. It’s your motive. Why exert any discipline if you don’t really want something? Motivation doesn’t just provide a reason; it’s the root of our fire, our energy and our drive. We are not oxen, slowly plodding forward without even knowing the reason. The bottom line: the more you want something, the greater your focus and the more energetic your actions.

Recall the old image of a football coach posting inflammatory press statements or a picture of the championship trophy on the locker room wall. He knew the power of motivation.

Yet discipline is equally important. Discipline is the control over yourself and your actions—the force that actually gets things done. Without control over your efforts, your desires are fruitless.

In real life, people often desire things strongly, but they are often distracted, procrastinate, or succumb to laziness. They may give up on challenging tasks after just a few weak attempts. This lack of control becomes a habit, leading to failure and a drop in self-esteem. It can also destroy motivation.

So you can see the interplay between motivation and discipline. Both psychological forces are crucial for achievement. In later chapters, I will show you simple tricks for building this critical discipline and also an unstoppable drive.