The Biggest Leverage Point – DISCIPLINE

Let’s go back to the basics. Here’s my first question for you:

Do you think studying is more about motivation or discipline?

If you had to choose a state of mind for the next 4 to 6 months of your FE preparation journey, which would you choose?

For me, without a doubt, I would pick discipline.

When long-term study habits are considered, discipline always beats motivation. That said, motivation is still important because it plays a critical role when needed. But it’s not something we can rely on to maintain consistency.

Think of motivation as a kick. Scientifically defined, it’s the anticipation of a reward. It’s the vision of becoming an EIT, passing the exam, and moving forward in your career. Motivation can help you start, but it has a major downside: it’s temporary. It fades. And when it fades, it’s no longer enough to sustain deliberate study habits.

So if motivation isn’t reliable, what takes its place?

Discipline.

Discipline isn’t a shiny word that automatically guarantees results. Discipline is an action pattern. It’s real, precise, and specific. It answers a simple question: Did you actually do the work?

At the same time, discipline goes hand in hand with being virtuous.

At this point, we definitely need to slow down and define what we actually mean by these terms.

Tying it all together, Without motivation, you may never even start learning. Without discipline, you won’t consistently put in the work for months on end. And without virtue, learning can become mechanical, lacking honest reflection on your study approach, strengths, and weaknesses.

So now the big question:

When we consider motivation, discipline, and virtue, which one should we leverage the most? Which one has the greatest impact and can shift outcomes in big ways?

Discipline. Discipline. Discipline.

So what does discipline actually look like when preparing for the FE exam?

Everything above is within your control. You can develop self-discipline one day at a time. You can change your environment to make sure you’re able to focus and retain information. You have the capacity to struggle, to learn, and to accomplish this goal.

Are you willing to put in the work?