Motivation shows up after the first step, not before.
If you’re like me, you have to make a list of the day’s tasks or things get missed.
Even the small stuff — returning a call, reaching out to a broker, updating a client — goes on the list.
It works. Nothing slips through the cracks.
But there’s a tradeoff: at the beginning of the day, that list can look like a mountain.
Even when you know most of the items only take a few minutes, seeing all of them at once can make you want to freeze.
And if there’s one task on there that’s bigger — something you don’t fully know how to do, or something with tech you haven’t figured out yet — it’s even worse. Suddenly, the whole list feels heavier than it really is.
But the funny thing is: it’s almost never as bad as it looks.
Most people think the difficulty is the task itself.
It’s not.
The hardest part is going from not moving to moving.
Once you’re already in motion — whether it’s the workout, the cleanup, the writing, or the business task — it’s rarely as bad as the version of it that existed in your head five minutes earlier. But when you’re sitting still, everything feels bigger than it is.
You start thinking things like:
- I don’t have the energy.
- I don’t know where to start.
- I’ll do it later when I’m ready.
- It’ll take forever.
But here’s the truth:
You don’t need readiness.
You need momentum.
And momentum doesn’t show up before you start — momentum shows up because you start.
A good trick is to make the first step stupidly small — so easy your brain can’t argue with it.
Want to go to the gym but don’t feel like it?
Tell yourself: I’m just driving there and walking inside. If I want to leave right after, I can.
Trying to clean up the house and it feels overwhelming?
Tell yourself: Pick up five things. Just five.
Once you grab those five, you’ll probably keep going.
Staring at a work project you’ve been avoiding?
Tell yourself: I’m just going to look at it. Not fix it. Not solve it. Just open it.
It sounds ridiculous, but it works — not because the task changes, but because you shift from idle to forward motion.
Your brain handles doing a lot better than it handles anticipating.
Most of the dread lives in the waiting.
Most of the stress lives in the buildup.
But once you start?
You think, Why was I avoiding this? This isn’t that bad.
Starting small isn’t weakness.
It’s strategy.
Because once you’re in motion — even a tiny bit — finishing becomes easier than quitting.
So next time you’re stuck, don’t wait for motivation.
Just lower the bar until momentum has no choice but to show up.
After that, the rest takes care of itself.
PS — You may have seen Sunday’s post introducing HisWordTogether.com.
Reading the entire Bible is something a lot of people say they want to do — or feel like they should do — but it can feel intimidating because it’s a big undertaking.
Just like in business, the key is the same: start small and let momentum do the heavy lifting.
The site breaks the readings into small, daily pieces — usually 5–20 minutes a day — which makes it manageable for anyone. And if you sign up, you’ll get the weekly readings in your email, so you don’t have to remember to go find them.
It’s free of charge. No commitment. No pressure.
If reading through the Bible has been on your mind, this may be the easiest way to finally start.
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