As summer rolls in, many people feel pressured to jumpstart healthy routines — hitting the gym, eating better, and perhaps even meditating. Traditionally, we’ve been told that willpower and discipline are the keys to success. But an alternative mindset is gaining popularity online: devotion.
Social media platforms are still filled with motivational content from personalities like Jocko Willink and fitness coach Camila Jaime, who preach discipline and self-mastery. They insist that staying on track requires laser-sharp control. However, an emerging wave of creators like Liv Glitterbones argue that a gentler, more self-connected approach is just as powerful — if not more so.
“Discipline often feels rooted in pressure and rigidity,” Liv says. “But devotion comes from love, purpose, and respect for yourself.” Rather than forcing herself to complete tasks, she transforms routines into rituals — cooking nourishing meals with care, taking time during self-care, and treating daily actions as sacred.
This perspective challenges the popular notion that discipline equals habits. According to Dr. Wendy Wood, a behavioral science expert from USC, habits are not a product of raw willpower. Instead, they form when actions are repeatedly performed in a consistent environment until they become automatic.
“You can’t force yourself to stick with something you hate for long,” Wood explains. “Discipline is useful for short-term motivation, but true habits require ease and repetition — not struggle.”
For example, brushing your teeth isn’t hard because it’s already a habit, triggered by context and done without thinking. But trying to go for a run every morning? If you dread it, no amount of discipline alone will sustain the routine.
Interestingly, some behaviors people label as habits may actually be rituals. Dr. Michael Norton from Harvard Business School, who wrote The Ritual Effect, points out that rituals often have deep emotional significance. Changing the sequence of your morning routine — say, showering before brushing your teeth — may feel unsettling, not because the task changed, but because the ritual was disrupted.
Rituals help people connect emotionally to their actions. They’re marked by structure, meaning, and often, intention. That emotional charge is what sets devotion apart from cold habit-building or strict discipline.
So which approach should you choose — discipline or devotion? Psychologist Dr. Pauline Wallin says it depends on context and personality. Discipline may work well for professional environments that require structure. But when it comes to personal growth or lifestyle changes, devotion might feel more empowering.
“People who resent rules imposed from the outside often gravitate toward devotion, because it feels like something they own and believe in,” she says.
The key is knowing why you’re doing something. Setting goals based on external validation — like losing weight for a wedding — often leads to short-term behavior changes. In contrast, when the motivation is internal and aligned with your values, long-term consistency becomes more likely.
“If your reason is ‘because this is who I am,’ then you’re building identity, not just chasing results,” Wallin says.
Liv echoes this sentiment. She encourages others to avoid seeing progress as a race and instead embrace small, intentional steps. “Devotion is about showing up with patience and care,” she explains. “There’s no ego in it — just connection to how you want to live.”
Rather than trying to “conquer” your goals through self-discipline, reframing them as acts of love toward yourself may help create sustainable habits that last well beyond the summer.
This evolving debate between discipline and devotion reflects a broader shift in how we understand motivation. Discipline, often tied to control and resistance, is proving to be less sustainable for long-term habit formation. Devotion, which centers on self-connection and intention, offers a more emotionally resonant alternative. By treating daily actions as rituals and aligning them with personal values, people may find themselves more committed — not because they must, but because they want to. The future of habit formation could be less about pushing through and more about tuning in.
Source inspiration: CNN