Rethinking Discipline: The Transformative Energy Behind Consistency

Marcy Luna
Jul 28
3 min read

I’ve been teaching fitness and coaching mindset for a long time, so people assume I have a lot of discipline.

But I have a confession: I’ve never really associated what I do with discipline, mostly because I’ve never liked how the word “discipline” felt to me.

It felt rigid. Cold. Like a punishment. Like rules forced upon me.

And honestly? In my role as a fitness leader and high-performance coach, I’ve never been interested in pushing people to perform to perfection. As a matter of fact, I listen for the trap of perfectionism so I can steer people away from the lie of perfection (it doesn’t exist) and towards brighter possibilities. (This shift might take some discipline!)

Over time, I’ve started to understand something deeper about discipline. Discipline isn’t about punishment or perfection; it’s about energy.

A fuel source for energy?

I’ve been reimagining discipline as something else entirely:

Aliveness
Self-respect in action
Follow through with heart (different than follow through with resentment).
The energy of alignment

What I’m realizing, and what I coach others to discover, is that it’s not about how much willpower you can grind out. It’s about what happens when you stop waiting for motivation and start moving anyway.

Action creates energy. Movement generates momentum.

Most people think they need motivation to begin, but motivation is a side effect, not a starting point.

When we get into motion, when we make the call, show up to the workout, say no to the distraction, or keep the promise we made to ourselves… that’s when something changes.

We shift from effort to energy. From shame to strength. From stuck to inspired.

The real power is in discovering what you’re capable of.

Here’s where things get exciting - not because you’ve “been disciplined,” but because you’ve moved into a version of yourself that is awake, engaged, and in motion.

And this is where my coaching comes in.

We all have blind spots; patterns we can’t see because they’re running beneath the surface of our awareness.

They drive how we show up. They dictate our excuses. They often keep us safe, small, or spinning.

You can’t see your own blind spots. That’s why they’re called blind.

But when we uncover them? When we bring light to what’s been hiding in the background? That’s when the shift happens. That’s when the discipline stops feeling like force and starts feeling like freedom.

You’re not undisciplined, you just haven't discovered parts of you yet.

When you start to see the thoughts behind the actions (or inactions)… When you choose to move before you feel like it… When you bring your whole self into the game…

That’s when the real momentum begins.

Rather than resisting discipline, we can identify where we resist action.

Awareness.

Energy.

Self-leadership.

These are the rewards of taking aligned action, whether we feel like it in the moment or not.