Stop Waiting for Motivation: A Beginner's Hack to Take Action Anyway
I sat staring at my laptop for twenty minutes last Tuesday.
I had a newsletter to write. I knew what I wanted to say. I had the time blocked off. Everything was perfect... except I didn't feel like doing it.
My brain offered up every excuse in the book: "You're not inspired right now." "It won't be good if you force it." "Wait until you feel more motivated."
So I waited. And waited. And checked my phone. And reorganized my desk. And suddenly my 30-minute writing block was gone and I'd written exactly zero words.
Sound familiar?
Here's what I finally figured out: motivation is a lie. Or at least, waiting for motivation is.
The "I'll Do It When I'm Motivated" Trap
We've been sold this idea that motivation comes first, then action follows.
You need to FEEL like doing the thing before you can actually do the thing, right?
Wrong.
That's backwards. And it's keeping you stuck.
Think about it: how many times have you waited to feel motivated to go to the gym? To start that project? To have that difficult conversation? To work on your business?
And how many times did the motivation just... never show up?
Yeah. Because motivation doesn't work that way.
Motivation Follows Action (Not the Other Way Around)
Here's the truth nobody tells you: motivation shows up AFTER you start, not before.
You don't feel motivated, then take action. You take action, then feel motivated.
I didn't feel like writing that newsletter. But I forced myself to write one sentence. Then another. Then a paragraph. And five minutes in? I was in the zone. The motivation showed up... but only after I started.
This is true for almost everything:
You don't feel like working out, but once you're ten minutes in, you're glad you started
You don't feel like making dinner, but once you're chopping vegetables, it's not so bad
You don't feel like having that conversation, but once you're in it, the momentum carries you
The motivation arrives after you begin. Not before.
Your Brain Is Just Trying to Protect You
Here's why this happens: your brain is designed to conserve energy and avoid discomfort.
Starting something new (or something difficult, or something you've been avoiding) requires energy and might be uncomfortable. Your brain sees this as a threat.
So it offers you every reason NOT to do it:
"You're too tired"
"It's not the right time"
"You're not ready"
"Wait until you feel inspired"
Your brain isn't being mean... it's just doing its job of keeping you safe and comfortable.
But here's the thing: safe and comfortable doesn't get you anywhere. Growth requires discomfort. Progress requires action. And action requires you to tell your brain "I hear you, but we're doing this anyway."
This is exactly the kind of pattern we're going to break down in my upcoming workshop for skeptics—how to work WITH your resistant brain instead of against it.
The 2-Minute Rule (Your New Best Friend)
So how do you take action when you don't feel like it?
Use the 2-Minute Rule: commit to doing the thing for just 2 minutes.
Not 30 minutes. Not an hour. Just 2 minutes.
Tell yourself: "I'm going to work out for 2 minutes." "I'm going to write for 2 minutes." "I'm going to make one phone call."
Why does this work?
Because 2 minutes isn't scary. Your brain can't argue with 2 minutes. It's too small to resist.
And here's the magic: once you start, you almost always keep going. Because the hardest part isn't doing the thing—it's starting the thing.
Real Examples of Taking Action Before Feeling Ready
Let me give you some real examples from my life:
Starting my business: I didn't feel ready. I didn't feel confident. I didn't feel qualified. I started anyway. The confidence came later.
Publishing my first blog post: I was terrified. I rewrote it seventeen times. I almost didn't hit publish. I did it anyway. Now it's easy.
Creating my first workshop: I don't feel motivated to plan it most days. I work on it anyway. The motivation shows up once I'm in it.
None of these things happened because I felt motivated first. They happened because I took action anyway—and the motivation followed.
Book Bite: From Habits Expert, James Clear
"You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems." — James Clear, Atomic Habits
James Clear's entire book is about this exact principle: you don't need motivation. You need systems. You need tiny habits that make action automatic.
His 2-Minute Rule? Make it so easy you can't say no. Want to start working out? Commit to putting on your gym shoes. Want to write? Commit to one sentence. Want to meditate? Commit to one breath.
The motivation shows up after you start moving. The action creates the momentum. The system beats willpower every single time.
Stop waiting for motivation. Build a system that makes starting inevitable.
Final Thoughts
I spent YEARS waiting to feel motivated before taking action.
I thought successful people just had more motivation than me. More discipline. More willpower.
Turns out? They don't. They just start anyway.
They take action even when they don't feel like it. Even when they're tired. Even when they're not "in the mood."
And then—surprise—the motivation shows up.
I wish someone had told me sooner: you don't need to feel like it. You just need to start.
Want to learn more about working with your overactive brain?
👉 Want simple mindset tools you can actually use right now?
I'm hosting a 60-minute workshop in January called "Mindset for Skeptics: A crash course in quieting your brain, for people who hate sitting still." Join the waitlist to be the first to know when registration opens: JOIN THE WAITLIST
