By Hanat Oladele.

M. O. T. I. V. A. T. I. O. N.

Motivation – that sudden gush of willingness to do something – makes you kickstart the two-year-old plan of yours. It changes a draft into an action, an idea into a project and the nature of the tasks on a to-do list into work-in-progress.

I can remember during March of 2025 while preparing for exams that were determinants of my admission into university, I downloaded some YouTube study motivation videos and I watched all.

I can still remember one of the videos and it was titled “Read like a maniac in 7 days”, the 7 days unsurprisingly were not given the chance to breathe into existence. A thunderclap should not be the aftermath of saying that motivation without the D word is like a boat with holes in it.

D. I. S. C. I. P. L. I. N. E

The D word in which attaining it requires two elements – intentionality and commitment. It is the bridge between starting and finishing. It is a skill and not a spontaneous sensation. It is the ability to keep going even when the roads are shaky.

Discipline is what made Khadijah, a newly admitted pharmacy student read from the first day of resumption till the last day of her second semester’s exams to the extent that she secured a 5.0 CGPA. She headed to the library when others were complaining about the workload. She declined invitations to events that conflicted with her study time. She became allergic to her phone when her books were in front of her.


Comparing the case study of I, last year and Khadijah, it is as clear as day that discipline emerged victorious in the ring of reality. Motivation could not even push me to read for as little as seven days but discipline made Khadijah, the scholar, read consistently for over eight months!

Motivation might have the ability to kickstart a two-year-old plan but discipline makes you complete it in its expected two months and not five years. Discipline is what saves you from being known as a master of unfinished projects or a starter but not a finisher. And most importantly, discipline aided me in being a student of my desired course in my desired institution whereas motivation deserted me while I was still at the beginning phase of my academic journey.

This is not written with the intent to condemn or dismiss motivation but to inform you that on the days when motivation deserts you even at your most vulnerable moments, you get up and keep going because you have dreams to chase, heights to attain and impact to make! Those words sound motivational right? But now you know that the D word is the true one.