Vulnerability is uncomfortable. It feels like standing on a stage with all eyes watching, waiting to judge. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that growth only happens when we take that risk—and when we stop letting fear keep us stuck in preparation mode. We need to step outside our comfort zones, face critique, and learn from it. That’s why I’m kicking off this blog with a topic that’s changed the way I think about progress: the difference between motion and action.

The Trap of Substituting Motion for Action

In his book Atomic Habits, James Clear describes action as “something that produces a result.” Motion, on the other hand, consists of things we do to prepare for action. While this sounds simple enough, the tricky part is that we often substitute motion for action.

Coincidentally, working on starting this blog turned into a perfect example of this principle.

When I decided to write more seriously, I knew I needed a platform to post my work. But before long, I got caught up in the details—colors, titles, names, logos, even the idea of creating my own website from scratch, which opened up an entirely new rabbit hole of research.

All of this effort—days, if not weeks—felt productive. But it wasn’t producing the one thing that would actually engage an audience: an actual blog post.

Why Action Beats Motion

But why does this matter?

I can imagine you thinking, “The look and feel, the title, the logo, and the platform all matter.” And yes, they do. But not as much as actual content.

Here’s why action will always beat motion:

Feedback: Can’t Grow What You Don’t Show

In Atomic Habits, James Clear shares a story about a photography class where the group graded on quantityended up producing the best photos. Why? They practiced, got feedback, and improved, while the group graded on quality spent all their time theorizing.

Looking back, I wish I had learned this lesson earlier in my career (and in life): put your work in front of people sooner.

You need to share what you’re working on with trusted people and get their input. Critical feedback allows you to revise and improve, leading to much better results over time.

Quantity: Practice Makes Progress

Motion doesn’t provide hands-on practice in the thing you want to do or create.

Imagine the difference between watching videos about perfecting your golf swing and going to Topgolf to actually hit balls. It’s the action—trying, failing, and adjusting—that leads to progress.

Motion keeps you stuck in endless preparation, but action builds momentum. The more you create and practice, the more opportunities you have to learn, improve, and evolve.

Momentum: Confidence Through Action

Action creates momentum.

The more you work on a skill, the better you get—plain and simple. And as you improve, you’ll feel more motivated to keep creating. This creates a powerful feedback loop: the more you create, the better you get, and the better you get, the more you want to create.

Motion doesn’t give you this momentum.

The reason we get caught up in motion is often fear—fear of failure, fear of judgment, or sometimes even fear of success (a topic for another post).

Fear of failure is what kept me stuck in motion. I worried my posts wouldn’t be good enough or that no one would care. But the truth is, creating imperfectly is better than not creating at all. Every piece of work you put out there, no matter how flawed, makes you stronger for the next one.

Motion feels productive and safe, but it lets us avoid the risks that come with putting ourselves out there. True progress only happens when we’re willing to face that fear and take action, even when it feels uncomfortable. Once you become comfortable with being uncomfortable, things really pick up speed.

Action or Motion: What’s Holding You Back?

Are you seeing the results you want in your life?

If not, it might be time to ask yourself:

• Are you spending more time in action, or are you just going through the motion?

• What am I doing that feels productive but isn’t producing results?

• What’s one action I can take today that will move me closer to where I want to be?

The next step doesn’t need to be perfect—it just needs to happen. Writing this blog post was my first action. It’s not perfect, but it’s real.

Now it’s your turn: Identify one meaningful action you can take today to move closer to your goals. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Today. Because progress starts with that first step.