For a long time, I used to struggle with getting myself to do things, even if it was something that I liked doing. I always found myself waiting, pushing things off because I was waiting for motivation to finally strike.

That sudden surge of energy that would propel me into action and take me out of stagnancy for the rest of my life. If you’ve ever found yourself doing the same, let me tell you, it’s never going to happen that way, sorry.

Sure, there were times where energy seemed to come to me in short bursts, but that’s the thing, it never seemed to last long. A few days where I would get whatever it was I wanted to do done, eventually returning to that feeling of being stuck.

And If there’s anything that I took from that time, it’s that motivation is hardly ever going to simply appear on a random Tuesday afternoon, no.

Motivation lies in being purposeful and taking action each day.

This realization came to me a few months back on a Friday. It was a calm and beautiful morning, with the sun peaking in through the window and illuminating my bedroom with its soft morning glow.

Normally, I would have rolled over to check my phone before getting up and continuing on to start my routine, but this particular morning, I was overcome with an enormous wave of tiredness.

I felt tired of my life and the way in which I was living it at the time, tired of wondering when the time where I would get to be the person who I imagined I would and wanted to be would finally come to pass.

I ended up staying in my bed for an extra 30 minutes, letting the sunlight shift away from my face.

And I vividly remember thinking, ‘The sun doesn’t wait until it feels like rising to do so, it just does it.’

The thought ended up sticking with me for the entire day. From there, I had similar thoughts spurred from things I saw outside that I would usually overlook. ‘Trees don’t need permission to create oxygen or grow, they just do’, or ‘That old lady jogging down the street isn’t waiting to take charge of her health.’

The more these kinds of thoughts played in my mind, the more the questions of ‘what are you waiting for’ and ‘what’s stopping you from taking charge of your life’ popped up.

Those questions became more and more frequent and increasingly loud as the days passed, until I eventually grew to be irritated with the person I was at the time, someone who was waiting for permission to be who I dreamed.

I knew I wasn’t satisfied with my day-to-day and that something had to give for anything to change for the better. I decided to just go for what I want, to practice my hobbies and whatever I liked, even if I didn’t feel like it in the moment.

Once I started doing such, it was like a switch had been flipped. I began to notice just how much more accomplished I began to feel, even if I only did one thing I wanted to do, it was still progress and better than nothing. I noticed how much more willing to stay and finish the projects I had started I was becoming

I felt more energetic, more motivated and incredibly happy.

I began to feel more comfortable with my life and who I was as a person.

And the key point that I think you should take away from what I’ve said so far is: whatever it is you want to start, you need to start it today. Don’t wait for that surge of energy to come, more often than not, it won’t, and don’t wait for anybody else’s approval to start.

The sun will always rise and fall, and life will continue to move forward regardless of how you may be feeling.

Take initiative and work toward the vision of the life you want to create and the person you imagine that you could be.

Thanks for reading!