Motion versus Action
It is easy to get bogged down try to find the optimal plan for change: the fastest way to lose weight, the best program to build muscle, the perfect idea for a side hustle. We are so focused on figuring out the best approach that we never get around to taking action. As Voltaire once wrote, “The best is the enemy of the good.”
I refer to this as the difference between being in motion and taking action. The two ideas sound similar, but they’re not the same. When you’re in motion, you’re planning and strategizing and learning. Those are all good things, but they don’t produce a result.
Action, on the other hand, is the type of behavior that will deliver an outcome. If I outline twenty ideas for articles I want to write, that’s motion. If I actually sit down and write an article, that’s action. If I search for a better diet plan and read a few books on the topic, that’s motion. If I actually eat a healthy meal, that’s action.
Sometimes motion is useful, but it will never produce an outcome by itself. It doesn’t matter how many times you go talk to hte personal trainer, that motion will never get you in shape. Only the action of working out will get the result you’re looking to achieve.
If motion doesn’t lead to results, why do we do it? Sometimes we do it because we actually need to plan or learn m ore. But more often than not, we do it because motion allows us to feel liek we’re making progress without running the risk of failure.
Sorry for the long quote. And thanks again to James Clear of Atomic Habits (page 142) for the mic drop here.
If I listen to a podcast on movements, that’s motion. If I go out and have a spiritual conversation with a lost person, that’s action.
If I map out the lostness in my [city/county/state/country], that’s motion. If I go out and prayer-walk an area I already know has lost people, that’s action.
How are you doing at balancing motion versus action? Where do you need to change?
