Discipline

So what if we cannot motivate ourselves? How do we get things done?

At the age of 17 I achieved ABRSM Diploma in piano performance. This meant that I had spent the majority of my life practising piano, racking up hours upon hours of piano playing from my early childhood and throughout my teenage years. They say it takes 10,000 hours of practice for someone to master a skill, and I have no doubt that I am probably not there yet, but will at least have spent more time than the average 19 year old, honing and developing a skill. 

So how did I motivate myself to practise everyday from the age of six? The answer is: I didn't. Rather, my 'wannabe tiger-mum' mother sat me down everyday and made sure I did my practice and did everything my teacher told me to do. Did I enjoy this? No. In fact I remember crying on many occasions and telling my mum that I wanted to quit. She never let me, and more importantly, I never let myself. Perhaps having an older sister who was better than me at piano provided extra motivation, but it was my mother who used her own time to sit with me and make me practise which made me the pianist I am today. 

The fact is that children don't know what's good for them. They just want to go out and play all the time. Instilling discipline into yourself or someone else will make something become routine or habit. Where motivation fails, discipline prevails.