The Day I Stopped Waiting for Motivation

I used to think motivation was the secret ingredient to success. That mysterious burst of energy that would finally make me go to the gym, start the side hustle, finish that online course, or wake up early without questioning my existence.

But if we’re being honest, motivation rarely showed up.

Most mornings, it was just me, my alarm clock, and the strong desire to throw my phone out the window. I’d scroll through inspirational quotes like, “Discipline is doing what needs to be done even when you don’t feel like it,” while actively doing nothing. I waited for motivation like people in romantic comedies wait for love—dramatically, unrealistically, and usually while eating snacks.

And then one random Tuesday, everything changed.

It wasn’t a dramatic “rock bottom” moment—just another ordinary, unproductive day. I had a long to-do list, and by 2 p.m., the only thing I’d accomplished was microwaving leftovers and refreshing my email like it owed me money. I looked in the mirror and said the most brutally honest sentence I’ve ever said to myself:

“You’re not tired. You’re just scared.”

That hit hard.

Because deep down, I wasn’t waiting for motivation I was avoiding failure. Motivation had become my favourite excuse. I told myself I’d start “when I felt ready.” Spoiler alert: I never felt ready.

So, that afternoon, I decided to do something small. Not grand, not cinematic — just something. I opened my laptop and wrote a single paragraph of the blog post I’d been procrastinating on for three weeks. It was terrible. Truly unreadable. But I didn’t stop.

The next day, I did another paragraph. Then another. Within a week, I had a full draft. A month later, that same blog post was published and, shockingly, people liked it.

That tiny win taught me something no motivational quote ever could: you don’t need motivation to start—you need momentum.

Momentum doesn’t ask how you feel. It just builds with every action, no matter how small. You don’t need to run a marathon—you just need to put your shoes on. You don’t need to write a novel—you just need to write one sentence.

I started applying that to everything.

Didn’t feel like working out? I’d just put on my sneakers.

Didn’t feel like cleaning? I’d start with one drawer.

Didn’t feel like facing a big life decision? I’d just write down the first step.

And weirdly enough, once I started, motivation finally showed up—usually halfway through the process.

That’s when I realized: motivation isn’t the spark that starts the fire. It’s the smoke that appears after you start burning.

We’ve been told to wait for the “right time,” but that’s a myth. There’s no perfect day to change your life. There’s only today, and whether you do something—or you don’t.

Because one day, “later” becomes “never.”

Since that Tuesday, I’ve had plenty of lazy days. Days when I want to scroll, snack, and pretend productivity doesn’t exist. But even then, I remind myself: You don’t have to be amazing today—you just have to show up.

Sometimes, showing up means crushing your goals. Other times, it means just getting out of bed and doing your best to face the world. Both count.

So if you’re reading this and waiting for motivation—stop. It’s not lost. It’s waiting for you on the other side of your first step.

Start messy. Start scared. Start tired. Start unsure.

Just start.

Because one day, you’ll look back at the version of yourself that began despite not feeling ready — and realize that’s where everything started to change.

You don’t need the perfect plan. You don’t need permission. You just need the courage to begin badly.

And if that’s all you can do today, that’s more than enough.