Let’s get something straight right up front: Motivation is a liar. Yeah, you heard me. We all love to talk about “finding motivation,” like it’s this mystical force that shows up, drags us out of bed, and sets our lives on fire. But the truth? Most people spend their whole lives waiting around for motivation, and it never comes. They wait for the perfect morning, the right song, the magical TED Talk, or just one more coffee—then they’ll finally get started.
That’s not how it works. Not for me, not for you, not for anybody.
See, we’ve all been sold this idea that motivation is the fuel for action. The reality is the opposite. Action is the fuel for motivation. It sounds backward, but it’s the only thing that actually works. You move first. You act. And then, maybe, motivation shows up.
You ever try to start working out? Everyone thinks you just need to “get motivated,” and then you’ll hit the gym. Here’s the real secret: Nobody is motivated at 5:30 in the morning. You roll out of bed, your back hurts, the house is cold, and everything in your body says, “Skip it.” But if you put your shoes on, walk outside, and move your body—even for five minutes—that’s when your brain wakes up. That’s when the spark shows up. Not before.
Waiting to feel ready before you act is how years slip by. It’s how dreams die quiet deaths. It’s how you wake up one day and realize you’re still talking about that book you wanted to write, that business you wanted to start, that relationship you wanted to heal, or that phone call you know you need to make. You can waste your whole life waiting for a feeling that isn’t coming.
Here’s what the research tells us, and what I’ve seen in the lives of thousands of people: When you act—especially when you don’t feel like it—your brain starts to catch up. Your motivation rises to meet your effort. You build momentum. It’s biology. Your brain is literally wired to reward movement, not daydreaming.
If you want to change your life, stop making motivation a prerequisite. Start making it a byproduct. The people who build good marriages, write the books, pay off the debt, get healthy, and actually do the stuff they talk about are not different than you. They just stopped waiting to “feel like it.” They moved. They did the work, scared and tired and unmotivated.
Let me say it plain: Action first. Motivation later. Always.
So, whatever it is you’re hoping to do, stop waiting for lightning to strike. Take the smallest step you can right now. Don’t trust your feelings—trust your actions. When you look back in a year, you’ll see it wasn’t magic. It was momentum, built one small, gritty, ordinary step at a time.
Go move. Your motivation is waiting for you on the other side.