Motivation vs Discipline

Recently I saw two quotes that spoke volumes to me. The first was:

"Set goals that scare you and excite you at the same time"

The second was:

"You will never always be motivated, you have to learn to be disciplined"

Well I am embarking on a new journey this week. I am back in grad school to pursue my Ed.D. in Higher Education Administration. I am doing this full time while continuing to work and train for the endurance races that I love. I know this will not be easy but it is what I want to do and I will make it happen.

I know for a fact I will not be motivated all the time. I know it will take discipline and hard work over the next three years but if you want it badly enough you will find a way to make it work. I can tell you I am scared. I am afraid of failure, of not being able to get everything done, and not living up to my own goals. However, I can also say that I am excited for the next few years to see what lies ahead. I am excited about pursuing something I have wanted for a long time.

Discipline will play a very important roll in my life over the next few years. I can not let my workouts slide, so morning workouts will be a priority. I will be rising before the sun, on most days, to get my training done. Work and travel will continue as usual but I will have to set boundaries in order to make time for my school work.

I am a true believer of you will never know unless you try and never give up even if it didn't go well the first time. I know I started my doctorate a few years back and was not able to complete it at the time. However, I know that the program I started was not the best for me. This time I researched graduate programs that would work with my schedule but would also challenge me.

Along with going back to school, I am continuing to set goals for myself that scare me and excite me all at the same time within the endurance sports world. And as I plot out my plan a bit more I will share goals with you very soon. Stay tuned for that...I think a few of you will be very excited to hear all about them!

In the mean time, "myfitnesspal.com" announced today that I have been logging consistently for three years. Talk about discipline. Every day I log every piece of food that I take in. I started this journey three years ago when I wanted to lose some weight. I lost the first 25 pounds on my own with the help of "myfitnesspal". I continued to use my fitness pal after I was diagnosed with diabetes. I used it to record my food so I could share it with my diabetes coach. I record everything...the good, the bad, and the ugly. And since having the surgery I continue to record, even while in the hospital after surgery I recorded the water and chicken broth I took in!! This has become more than a habit for me...it has become a way of life!