Movement Before Motivation

Sometimes, we wait to feel motivated before we begin. We tell ourselves we'll take the walk, start the project, or make the change once we feel ready.

But motivation doesn't always come first. Sometimes, movement does.

There are mornings when I don't want to lace up my sneakers. My body feels stiff, my legs ache, and staying home seems much more appealing. But once I begin walking, something shifts. The stiffness starts to fade, my pace picks up, and I begin to feel more like myself.

Have you ever seen the movie The Usual Suspects? At the end of the movie, Keyser Söze walks away from the police station with a limp. But as he continues down the street, his limp gradually disappears and his stride becomes stronger and faster.

I laugh to myself sometimes because that's exactly how I feel at the beginning of my morning walk. I start slow, but the longer I move, the better I feel.

It's the same with pretty much anything else I don't feel like doing.

Sometimes, the hardest part of anything is simply beginning. When I don't feel like doing something, I try to think about my future self, the version of me who has finished the walk, completed the task, or followed through on the promise I made to myself. I remind myself how good she will feel when it's done.

And there's something else that happens when I show up, even when I don't feel like it. I prove something to myself. I remind myself that I follow through, that I keep my word to me. That's its own kind of motivation. It's not just about finishing the walk. It's about learning, again and again, that I can trust myself to begin.

You don't have to feel ready to begin. You don't have to wait for motivation to arrive.

Take one step. Then another.

Movement creates momentum, and motivation usually catches up.

Your Invitation

What have you been waiting to feel motivated to begin? Today, take one small step with your future self in mind. Don't wait until you feel ready. Begin, and allow the motivation to follow.