Stop Waiting for Motivation: How to Take Action Now

For years, I believed the same myth many high performers fall into: once I feel motivated, I’ll take action. It sounds logical, sensible even, but it is completely backwards.

Whether I was flying military aircraft at speed or stepping onto a stage under bright lights, one truth became impossible to ignore: motivation does not come first. Action does.

In high-stakes environments, you don’t get the luxury of waiting until you “feel ready”.

You act, and motivation follows.

Motivation Is Unreliable. Action Is Not.

In the cockpit, there were days I felt sharp, confident, and energised. And days I didn’t. The mission still had to be executed either way. If I had waited to feel motivated before acting, I would never have become an effective pilot or leader.

The same applies to leadership, performance, health, confidence, and career progression.

Motivation is emotional; it fluctuates.

Action is behavioural; it can be trained.

High performers don’t rely on how they feel; they rely on systems, standards, and decisions.

Why Waiting Keeps You Stuck

When people tell me they’re “waiting for motivation”, what they’re often really saying is:

• They’re overwhelmed• They’re afraid of getting it wrong• They’re trying to do too much at once• They’re tying action to confidence or certainty

The nervous system reads this as a threat. And when the nervous system feels under threat, procrastination looks like protection.

Waiting feels safe. But it quietly erodes momentum, confidence, and self-trust.

Action Shrinks Fear

On stage, nerves never disappeared. But the moment I moved, everything changed.

Action interrupts overthinking. Action gives your brain new evidence. Action creates forward motion.

Even imperfect action tells your system: I can handle this.

That’s how confidence is built – not before you start, but because you started.

The Power of Small, Immediate Execution

You don’t need a massive plan; you need one decision followed by one deliberate action.

In aviation, we didn’t think ten steps ahead while under pressure. We focused on the next correct move, and the same principle applies here.

Ask yourself:

“What is the smallest action I can take in the next 10 minutes that moves this forward?”

Not the perfect action, not the most impressive action, just the next one.

Momentum loves simplicity.

Discipline Beats Motivation Every Time

Discipline isn’t about force. It’s about removing choice. When action becomes non-negotiable, motivation becomes irrelevant.

This is how elite performers operate: They decide in advance who they are and how they act. Then they execute – regardless of mood.

Ironically, this is also what creates freedom.

Less mental negotiation.Less emotional friction.

More energy for what actually matters.

Stop Waiting. Start Leading Yourself.

If you’re reading this, there’s likely something you’ve been putting off, not because you’re incapable, but because you’ve been waiting for a feeling that was never meant to lead.

Motivation is a reward for action, not a prerequisite.

Take the step, create the evidence, build the edge.

That’s how The Everyday Edge is lived – not someday, but now.