Why “Feeling Ready” Is Keeping You Stuck

The morning was cold and gray, and the air in my living room felt as heavy as my thoughts. I sat on the edge of the couch, staring at my running shoes across the room. I didn’t feel like moving. I told myself I’d wait—just a few more minutes—until I felt motivated.

But those minutes stretched into an hour, and I realized something: motivation wasn’t coming. It wasn’t hiding under the blanket or waiting behind my coffee cup. It wasn’t going to tap me on the shoulder and whisper, “Now’s the time.”

So I stood up anyway. One step toward the shoes. One step into the cold garage. Five minutes later, my blood was pumping, my head was clear, and the heaviness had lifted.

That’s when I understood the truth:

We don’t need motivation to start. We just need to start—and motivation will follow.

We Don’t Need Motivation to Start Something New and Amazing

This may be a triggering statement for some:

We do not need motivation to move forward.

We’ve been told for years that motivation is the spark that ignites action, that you must “find your why” before you can begin. It sounds logical—but in practice, it’s one of the biggest reasons people stay stuck. If you sit around waiting for motivation to arrive, you’ll be waiting a long time.

To me, the idea that you need to “feel like it” first or “feel ready” is a fallacy. Everything you need to create the life you want already exists within you—you just need a process that turns that potential into motion.

Action Creates Motivation, Not the Other Way Around

The truth is, the fastest way to feel motivated is often to act first.

Put your body in motion, and your emotions will catch up.

This isn’t just an opinion—it’s backed by research. Psychologists call it the behavioral activation principle: action often precedes and produces the emotional state we think we need. In other words, it’s not feel motivated → act but rather act → feel motivated.

If we wait for the perfect surge of inspiration, we’ll likely find ourselves stuck in the same patterns year after year. Purpose and reward rarely arrive in leisure clothes—they tend to show up in work attire. Mastering the ability to move forward without waiting for motivation is one of the most important skills you can develop. It unlocks growth, achievement, and the deep satisfaction that comes from proving to yourself you can do hard things.

Step Zero: Recharge Your Energy

While action is the spark, energy is the fuel. Without it, even the best plans will stall. A depleted brain will sabotage even the clearest vision. Before you take on your next big goal, make sure you’ve tended to your foundation:

• Sleep – 7–9 hours, same schedule daily.
• Hydrate – 16–20 oz of water upon waking.
• Move – Brisk walk or short workout first thing in the day.
• Eat Well – Focus on nutrient-dense foods that keep energy stable.
• Reduce Drains – Cut excess screen time, processed sugar, and constant multitasking.

If you’re dealing with chronic conditions or low vitality, improve your habits as much as possible, but don’t wait for perfect health to move forward. Work with the energy you have—momentum itself will give you more.

Consider Paul Alexander, who was diagnosed with polio at age six in 1952, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down and dependent on an iron lung for most of his life. Doctors told him he would never leave it. But Paul refused to accept a life of confinement.

He learned “frog breathing,” a painstaking technique that allowed him to breathe for short stretches outside the lung. He earned a law degree, practiced as an attorney, and later wrote Three Minutes for a Dog, chronicling over 70 years of grit and determination.

His story is proof that the human spirit, when harnessed, can defy almost any circumstance. And it raises an important truth: the fire to move forward isn’t something you’re handed—it’s something you decide to light.

How to Move Forward Without Waiting for Motivation

Once your energy is supported, these steps will help you take action—whether you feel “ready” or not:

1. Tell Yourself the Truth

Get honest with yourself. Journal an unfiltered assessment of where you are in health, work, relationships, money, education, parenting, and emotional fulfillment. Highlight the 1–2 truths that sting the most. These create the internal tension (cognitive dissonance) that fuels change.

2. Create an Inspiring Vision

Describe your ideal life 3 years from now in vivid, sensory detail. What does a perfect day look like? Who are you with? What’s different about you? The more emotionally charged your vision, the more it pulls you forward.

3. Create a Vision of Your Worst Life

Yes—your worst life. Write a vivid account of the life you refuse to live. Picture it in full detail. Pain is often a stronger motivator than pleasure. Read it weekly to keep urgency alive.

4. Engineer Your Environment

Make the right choice the easy choice. Put your gym clothes where you’ll see them. Delete distracting apps. Surround yourself—physically or virtually—with people whose habits match the life you want. Your environment shapes behavior far more than willpower does.

5. Shrink the First Step

Break your starting point into a 2–5 minute action. Want to exercise? Commit to walking around the block. Want to write a book? Write one sentence. Small actions remove the psychological barrier to starting and create momentum.

Why This Works

This method works because it bypasses the waiting game. It combines two powerful forces:

• Push motivation (truth + worst-case vision) — moving away from pain.
• Pull motivation (inspiring vision + environmental design) — moving toward a compelling future.

You’re no longer relying on fleeting bursts of inspiration. You’re building a system that makes action inevitable.

The Truth About Motivation

Motivation isn’t a lightning strike—it’s a muscle. It grows the more you use it, and the way you use it is by taking action before you feel ready. Every time you move forward despite low energy or low inspiration, you teach yourself that you’re the kind of person who acts anyway.

And that’s the real game-changer:

You don’t have to feel inspired to start. You just have to start.

Once you do, you’ll discover that the very act of moving forward creates the energy, clarity, and determination you thought you were waiting for.

So stop waiting for motivation to show up at your door.

Put yourself in motion—and you’ll find it was within you all along.

Be Well,

Jennifer