I used to be a professional at waiting for "someday."
Someday I’ll start eating better. Someday I’ll quit gaming so much. Someday I’ll get in shape. That word “someday” was my favorite excuse. It felt safe. It allowed me to dream about a better version of myself without doing any of the hard work. But dreaming doesn't change your reality. I know because I spent years stuck in a cycle of binge eating, drinking, and laziness that left me feeling empty and powerless.
Change felt impossible. But it wasn't. It started when I finally understood that action comes first and motivation follows. You don't wait for the feeling. You create the feeling by doing.
If you’re stuck in that same waiting place, I get it. I’ve been there. The good news is you don’t have to stay there. Sometimes all we need is a little push—a reminder that we have the power to start right now.
Why Waiting for Motivation Is a Trap
We often think we need a huge wave of inspiration to hit us before we can make a change. We wait for the perfect mood, the perfect time, the perfect plan. But that’s a myth.
Motivation isn’t a lightning strike. It’s a small spark you create yourself. Action is the flint and steel. When you take one small step, you prove to yourself that you can. That small success creates a flicker of motivation. Then you take another step, and the flame grows a little brighter.
Don’t wait to feel ready. You will be ready once you start.
30 Quotes to Inspire You to Act Now
I keep quotes like these handy for the days when I feel that old laziness creeping in. I hope they give you the same jolt of energy they give me.
- "The secret of getting ahead is getting started." – Mark Twain
- "You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great." – Zig Ziglar
- "The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now." – Chinese Proverb
- "Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make the iron hot by striking." – William Butler Yeats
- "A year from now you may wish you had started today." – Karen Lamb
- "Action is the foundational key to all success." – Pablo Picasso
- "Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do." – John Wooden
- "The only impossible journey is the one you never begin." – Tony Robbins
- "Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step." – Martin Luther King Jr.
- "What you do today can improve all your tomorrows." – Ralph Marston
- "Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work." – Stephen King
- "The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing." – Walt Disney
- "Whatever you are, be a good one." – Abraham Lincoln
- "Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action." – Benjamin Disraeli
- "It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that they are difficult." – Seneca
- "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." – Theodore Roosevelt
- "The future depends on what you do today." – Mahatma Gandhi
- "Small deeds done are better than great deeds planned." – Peter Marshall
- "The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus." – Bruce Lee
- "If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy." – Dale Carnegie
- "Your action is the pen that writes your story." – Unknown
- "Let him who would move the world first move himself." – Socrates
- "Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do." – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
- "To think is easy. To act is difficult. To act as one thinks is the most difficult of all." – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
- "The world is changed by your example, not by your opinion." – Paulo Coelho
- "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might." – Ecclesiastes 9:10
- "The path to success is to take massive, determined action." – Tony Robbins
- "Stop being afraid of what could go wrong, and start being excited about what could go right." – Tony Robbins
- "An inch of movement will bring you closer to your goals than a mile of intention." – Steve Maraboli
- "So, what are you going to do? Are you going to keep talking about it, or are you going to do something about it?" – A question to ask yourself
Turning Inspiration into Real-Life Change
Quotes are great but they are just words until you live them. For years I knew what I should do. But knowing and doing are two different worlds.
My turning point wasn't some grand moment. It was a series of tiny, almost unnoticeable decisions. When I decided to lose over 110 pounds, I didn't start by planning to run a marathon. I started by putting on my shoes and going for a 15-minute walk instead of loading up another video game. That was it.
The next day I did it again.
Then I focused on one meal. Not a whole week of perfect eating. Just one healthy breakfast. I celebrated that small win. It felt good. It made me want to make another good choice for lunch.
This is how real change happens. It’s not about a massive overhaul of your entire life overnight. It’s about winning the next five minutes. And then the next. These small wins build momentum. They build confidence. They prove that you are the kind of person who follows through.
The Role of Faith in Taking Action
For me, the biggest shift happened when I connected my actions to my faith. I realized that taking care of my body and my mind wasn't just about me. It was about being a good steward of the life God gave me.
When I wanted to give up, when the old habits called my name, my faith became my anchor. It gave me a deeper "why." I wasn't just trying to lose weight or be more productive for myself. I was doing it to better serve God, my family, and my community. That purpose is more powerful than any fleeting feeling of motivation.
Strengthening my relationship with God gave my small, daily actions a profound meaning. Every healthy meal, every focused work session, every temptation I overcame became an act of gratitude. It transformed my struggle from a burden into an opportunity.
You don't need a perfect plan. You don't need to feel inspired. You just need to decide what your next right step is and take it.
It really is that simple.
So, I’ll ask you the same question I now ask myself every day: What’s one small action you can take in the next five minutes? Not tomorrow. Not later. Right now.
Go do it. You’ve got this.
