Discipline vs Motivation: The Love-Fear Spectrum of Action
Discipline beats motivation, but love wins all. Our actions are driven by two big emotions: love and fear.
The Two Sides of Motivation
When you’re working on a cool software project that solves a real world problem, you’re operating from love. This intrinsic motivation is exciting. Compare that to a 9-5 job done just to maintain a lifestyle – here fear of losing financial security is the main driver.
Personal Experience: Enterprise Sales Journey
My own experience with enterprise sales is a perfect example of this internal conflict. I’m good at building and selling software products but enterprise sales felt like a soul-sucking experience. Long, boring meetings. Trying to convince dispassionate stakeholders about a solution they barely understood.I committed to enterprise sales for a full year. Surprisingly I did well. I closed high-ticket deals multiple times. But something was missing – the joy, the excitement was absent.
The Courage to Choose Love
Despite financial success I made a big decision. I stopped doing enterprise sales. Was I leaving money on the table? Absolutely. But I got back something far more valuable – my life’s enjoyment.This wasn’t about being weak. It was about being intentional. I realized I wasn’t acting out of love but out of fear of missing out on potential revenue.
Experimentation: The Way to Authentic Choices
Never decide without trying. Yoda’s wisdom is true: “Do or do not, there is no try”. But I interpret this differently. Trying means fully immersing yourself, not half-heartedly attempting.By fully trying enterprise sales I got clarity. My gut feeling confirmed what my rational mind suspected – this wasn’t my path.
Comfort and Growth
Doing things out of love can trap you in a comfort zone. Growth requires pushing boundaries. But that doesn’t mean forcing yourself into perpetual discomfort.The sweet spot is intentional discomfort – choosing challenges that align with your broader personal and professional goals.
The Decision Framework
- Try it fully
- Listen to your internal response
- Are you motivated by love or fear
- Choose consciously
- Be willing to pivot
Discipline is important but shouldn’t feel like a permanent torture. When discipline is in love it’s effortless mastery.
