That first step can feel like a mountain.
You know the feeling. You’re standing at the bottom looking up at this massive goal. Whether it’s losing weight, breaking a bad habit, or starting a new project it just feels impossible. The distance between where you are and where you want to be seems too great to cross.
I’ve been there. For years I was stuck in a cycle of gaming addiction, binge eating, and laziness. I felt trapped by my own bad habits. The thought of changing my entire life was so overwhelming that I usually did nothing at all. But then I discovered the power of momentum. It wasn’t a lightning bolt moment. It was a quiet shift. A small push that started a snowball effect and changed everything.
Momentum is the force that turns small efforts into big results. It’s what makes the second step easier than the first and the hundredth step feel almost effortless.
The Secret to Getting Unstuck
We often think we need a huge burst of motivation to start. We wait for the perfect day or the right mood to strike. But that’s a lie. Motivation doesn't create action. Action creates motivation.
Momentum is your best friend in this journey. Think of it like pushing a car. The first push is the hardest. You have to strain against its dead weight. But once it starts rolling even just a little the next push is easier. Soon you’re jogging to keep up.
That’s what building a new life feels like. I didn’t lose over 110 pounds by waking up one day and suddenly having perfect discipline. I did it by making one good choice. I chose a healthy breakfast. That was a small win. Then I went for a short walk. Another small win. These tiny victories started to build on each other. Each good choice made the next one feel a little less difficult. Before I knew it I had momentum on my side.
25 Quotes to Get You Moving
Sometimes a few powerful words can be the spark we need. Here are 25 quotes that have helped me get moving when I felt stuck. I hope they can help you too.
- "The secret of getting ahead is getting started." – Mark Twain
- "A year from now you may wish you had started today." – Karen Lamb
- "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." – Lao Tzu
- "Success is the sum of small efforts repeated day in and day out." – Robert Collier
- "Do not wait. The time will never be 'just right.' Start where you stand and work with whatever tools you may have at your command and better tools will be found as you go along." – George Herbert
- "Action is the foundational key to all success." – Pablo Picasso
- "You don't have to be great to start but you have to start to be great." – Zig Ziglar
- "An object in motion stays in motion." – Isaac Newton
- "It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop." – Confucius
- "The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones." – Chinese Proverb
- "What we fear of doing most is usually what we most need to do." – Ralph Waldo Emerson
- "To get through the hardest journey we need take only one step at a time but we must keep on stepping." – Chinese Proverb
- "If you can’t fly then run. If you can’t run then walk. If you can’t walk then crawl but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward." – Martin Luther King Jr.
- "Small deeds done are better than great deeds planned." – Peter Marshall
- "The path to success is to take massive determined action." – Tony Robbins
- "Never let the things you want make you forget the things you have."
- "The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now." – Chinese Proverb
- "Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection." – Mark Twain
- "Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase." – Martin Luther King Jr.
- "Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can." – Arthur Ashe
- "It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves." – Sir Edmund Hillary
- "Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other." – Walter Elliot
- "I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions." – Stephen Covey
- "Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle." – Napoleon Hill
- "Whatever you do work heartily as for the Lord and not for men." – Colossians 3:23
How to Build Momentum Today
Reading quotes is great but building momentum requires action. Here are a few simple ways to start right now.
Start Smaller Than You Think. Seriously. If your goal is to read the Bible every day don't start with a whole chapter. Start with one verse. If you want to exercise don't commit to an hour at the gym. Do five push-ups in your living room. The goal is to make the first step so easy you can't say no.
Celebrate Every Tiny Win. Did you read that one verse? Awesome. Acknowledge it. Thank God for the strength and opportunity. When I was losing weight I would mentally pat myself on the back for choosing water over soda. These small acknowledgments reinforce the new habit and make you feel good which makes you want to do it again.
Focus on Consistency Not Intensity. It's better to walk for 10 minutes every day than to go on a two-hour hike once a month. Consistency is what builds the groove. It tells your brain "This is who we are now. We are people who do this."
Lean on God for Strength. For me my faith was the bedrock of my transformation. There were so many days I felt weak and wanted to give up. On those days I would simply pray. I’d ask God for the strength to make it through the next hour or to resist the next temptation. My own power was limited but His is not. Leaning on that truth gave me a strength I couldn't find on my own.
Momentum isn't some magical force you have to find. It's a force you create. It starts with one small decision one tiny action. That action makes the next one easier and the one after that easier still.
So I’ll ask you this. What is one small stone you can carry today? Not tomorrow. Not next week. Right now.
Take that first step. The rest of the journey will follow.
