Motivation, Discipline, and a Super-Cute Outfit

Motivation, Discipline, and a Super-Cute Outfit

by Johnny Steiner, May 2020

Huffing and puffing, covered in sweat, I see my car and realize that this run is almost over. There he sits - a shiny silver Fiat 124 Spider - waiting for me, right where I parked him 45 minutes ago. I slow down, stop Strava, and pull out my earbuds as Bowie tells me I could be a hero. The morning sun glows red on my face, and my heavy breathing starts to calm down. I feel relieved and accomplished and instantly hungry.

If you go back about 90 minutes, though, I was in a much different mental state. I wanted to skip this little trek and stay at home doing all those morning things one does on a typical Tuesday.

So, why wasn’t I ready-set-go this morning?

Running, after all, is my jam. I’ve certainly touted that on Instagram ad nauseam. The weather was picture perfect, my super-cute outfit was all laid out, and I even had extra free time today. It seemed that the only thing missing was motivation.

Ugh, that word. I see it everywhere. ‘Motivation’ is used and abused in countless memes, tees, and #motivationalmondays. It is schlepped around by talk-show hosts, famous athletes, and your friendly neighborhood social media influencer. Let’s take a beat and define it, shall we?

Motivation is the impulse to do something. It’s the reason to behave in a certain way. Merriam-Webster says motivation is “the desire to act in service of a goal.”

Impulse to. Reason to. Desire to. Simply put, then, motivation is a feeling. And we all know feelings are free and fleeting. Feelings, rather randomly, come and go.

And while earlier this morning I didn’t have said feeling, something compelled me - motivationless as I was - to get dressed, get ready, and get going. If it wasn’t motivation, then what was it?

The answer, my friends, was in my aforementioned super-cute outfit. As I suited up next to my dimly lit closet, tied my Sauconys, put on my Adidas short-shorts, and pulled over my Nike pullover - there it was, just under the swoosh.

‘Just Do It.’

Written on my chest was the slogan that blasts billboards and pops in print, flashes over our internet searches, and screams at us from brightly colored gym bags. This morning, though, it was speaking directly to me as I strapped on my watch and drove to this metro-park.

‘Just Do It’ not only embodies Nike’s image, it is synonymous with the brand itself. ‘Just Do It’ was born in 1988 to parents Wieden + Kennedy, an ad agency that surely couldn’t have fathomed their pitch becoming what it has become. For so many people, myself included, it’s a mantra.

‘Just Do It’ is absolutely straight-forward. It’s not about motivation - and certainly not our impulses, desires, or fleeting feelings. ‘Just Do It’ says giddy-on-up and get out there, regardless of your 99 reasons not to. There’s no “just do it on weekends” or “just do it when you are in a good mood.” ‘Just Do It,’ period.

So now I stand here stretching my calves, having just run a five mile jaunt through my beloved urban oasis. But if ‘Just Do It’ isn’t about motivation, what is it about then?

I’ll tell you. It starts with D and ends with E and it’s discipline. ‘Just Do It’ is about discipline.

Now that’s a word that can be intimidating. It may conjure up images of school detention, a paddle, or any number of its other uses and definitions. Discipline comes from a Latin word meaning ‘learner’ - think ‘disciple’ or ‘academic disciplines.’ When I say discipline brought me here today, I am talking about intentional behavior. Self control.

Discipline is self control.

Discipline is making things happen, even when you don’t necessarily want to. It’s discipline that brushes our teeth, pays our rent, and cleans our toilets. It gets us to work on time, mows the grass, and takes our vitamins. Discipline changes our oil, folds our laundry, and once a week calls our mothers. And it’s discipline - not motivation - that keeps me on the path of health and wellness.

I choose to be disciplined with fitness. I literally calendar it, put it on to-do lists, and take great pleasure in crossing it off each day when I’m through. You see, I get this amazing feeling post-workout. I call it ‘the euphoria of healthy accomplishment.’ It’s a feeling that has contagiously increased over the years, and it’s that feeling I choose to share with the world - encouraging others to chuck unreliable motivation and find their own bad-ass discipline.

Because if I can ‘Just Do It,’ then so can you. And so can anyone, anywhere, anytime. And while your fitness of choice may differ from mine, trust me when I say you can ‘just do’ whatever your ‘it’ is. And ‘Just Do It’ today. Stop waiting and start doing. Jesus Jones has been singing “right here, right now,” for nearly 30 years, and who are we to argue with Jesus Jones?!

I’ve thought about all of these things for a while now, but never expressed them quite like I have here. In fact, I’m such a believer in discipline that I had the word tattooed on my arm a few years ago. Left bicep, all caps, and Helvetica (the best font) in case you were wondering.

I slide inside the car, pop the top, and crank the music. U2 is telling me it’s a beautiful day, and I have to say I agree. Adjusting my aviators, I steer toward my favorite locally owned coffee shop seeking my favorite locally roasted roast. I’m actually a little earlier than usual this morning, and I hope to see my favorite barista. I wonder if he’ll like my outfit. After all, it’s super cute.

Johnny Steiner is a musician, fitness-enthusiast, and positivist who lives in Columbus, Ohio. Follow him on Instagram @johnnysteiner or find him on the web at johnnysteiner.com.