It has been two months into 2018, and the time of year when all of the hype around New Year’s resolutions is slowly dying off, or has already died. The sad truth is, no matter how motivated, people eventually stray away from their paths and give up on accomplishing their goals. The reason for this is because they rely on motivation those random bursts of motivation you get around New Year’s never last. In fact, they show up at the most random and futile times. For example, when you are up at 3 a.m. and suddenly feel the urge to finish all of your homework. These random bursts of motivation feel kind of like adrenaline. But unlike adrenaline, they usually show up at useless times and fade away by the time you actually need them. Motivation is temporary, and relying on it to achieve your goals will get you nowhere. In order to stick to your new year resolutions, what you need is not motivation, but discipline.

     Self-discipline is a very useful skill to have, however, it is a skill that is extremely difficult to master. Self-discipline is important for making your resolutions into habits, because unlike motivation, discipline is permanent. The first step to developing a disciplined lifestyle is to start small. Many people who make New Year resolutions often expect to transform into a new person as soon as the clock strikes 12. Going from waking up at five in the morning everyday after consistently waking up at ten, in one night is unrealistic. You have to take baby steps. A small step is still one step closer to accomplishing your goal. Start by waking up at eight for a week, then seven and gradually work your way up to five. It won’t happen in one night. It takes consistency and patience. If living a disciplined life was easy, everyone would be productive and have a six-pack.  

    The next step to discipline is developing a routine. If your goal is to workout four times a week, decide exactly what days you will work out and what time. Don’t try to fit working out into your schedule, plan everything else around the time you decide to workout. Motivation suggests that you have to be in a certain state in order to accomplish something, you have to be motivated. That will get you nowhere. Discipline means doing something whether you feel like it or not. If you wait until you get motivated to start your 1000 word essay, you’ll probably never do it. Instead, your sense of discipline will kick in the night before it is due, pressuring you to finish it. Having a routine leaves you with no excuse to not accomplish your task and as you continue to follow your routine you will no longer have to force yourself to carry out your goals, it will become a habit.

 Like I mentioned before, establishing discipline will not happen in one day. It is a process that takes consistency and patience. Keeping that in mind, if you fail to stick to your goal one day and skip a workout, or end up spending a weekend afternoon binge watching shows instead of doing homework, don’t beat yourself up about it. Sometimes you need to fail in order to succeed. We are human and even if you become the most disciplined person in the world, there will be days where you need to take a break. Don’t let one mistake discourage you from continuing on your path to self-growth and instead understand that making mistakes is part of the process. Einstein did not invent the lightbulb in one try, instead he made mistakes and learned from them. If you focus on being better than you were yesterday, eventually you will achieve your goals.