Discipline over Motivation

Why you shouldn't ask your kids if they want to go to class

Motivation feels great when it’s there. You wake up energised, ready to train, ready to improve. But motivation has one problem - it’s inconsistent and never lasts forever.

Some days you feel driven and focused. Other days you feel tired, distracted, or just not in the mood. If progress depended on motivation alone, very few people would achieve anything meaningful. This is where discipline becomes important not just for you but your kids too. 

Don't ask your kids if they feel like going to class, doing homework, going to swimming lessons or even sometimes going to school or going to bed on time remind them of the goals you set together or the commitment they made.

If someone asked you at 5am whether you wanted to get up and go to the gym, most people would say no; “I’m tired," "I need more sleep" "Just five more minutes"

But what if you had already made a commitment that you want to get healthier, and the only time you realistically have to exercise is early in the morning before the day begins? The first few mornings feel terrible. You’re tired. You don’t want to get up. Everything in your body tells you to stay in bed. That feeling is normal.

It doesn’t mean the goal is wrong. Often it just means the planning could be better, removing barriers. Maybe you should have gone to bed earlier. Maybe you needed to prepare the night before.

But once a commitment is made, something important has to happen. You have to disregard how you feel in that moment and follow through anyway to get the results you really dwanted in the first place. That’s discipline.

It's the same for kids, they've had a big day at school, they're tired, they would rather play xbox or play in the pool on a hot day.

Motivation is emotional. It comes and goes. Discipline is behavioural. It keeps you moving forward.

When your or your child starts Martial Arts you set big goals, confidence, resilience, a Black Belt. But these all take time, longer than what motivation lasts. This is when it's important to follow through. 

When you follow through consistently trust in yourself builds. Next time you set a goal, follow through is easier; at school, in training, health, work and life.

3 Practical Black Belt Mindset Tips

1. Make fewer commitments, but honour themOnly commit to things that matter. Once you commit, follow through and encourage your child to do the same. Remind yourself when motivation runs out why you committed to the goal in the first place.

2. Plan for the barriers and obstaclesMost failures come from poor planning, not lack of motivation. Prepare ahead of time and remove obstacles. 

If you want to get up early to exercise try to go to sleep earlier (we'll have some tips for this in our next edition), have everything ready the night before. 

If your child doesn't want to go to karate or school what are they doing before? Is it something that's hard to leave e.g. Play Station, do they have a pre school or pre class routine in place

3. Act despite how you feel.Feelings change quickly. Discipline means doing what needs to be done regardless of how you feel in the moment. And often following through on a commitment we set for ourselves makes us feel better after anyway (particularly if it's physical activity)

Small acts of discipline repeated consistently build extraordinary results even when motivation fades

Be Awesome