Action vs Motivation – Why You’re Waiting for the Wrong Thing

Most people believe this:

“Once I feel motivated, then I’ll start.”

So they wait.

They wait to feel fired up, clear, inspired, and confident. The perfect morning never comes—and the dream quietly dies in the background.

In the first Run with the Cheetahs episode, Jerry Freishtat flips this belief on its head with one simple question:

What comes first—action or motivation?

Most people say motivation. Jerry strongly disagrees.

The uncomfortable truth: action comes first

Jerry’s view is blunt:

• About 80% of what you must do to succeed are things you don’t want to do.
• If you wait to “feel like it,” you’ll wait forever.
• Action before motivation is the rule.

You:

1. Take disciplined action first
2. Push through when you don’t feel like it
3. Stack small wins
4. Then motivation shows up

Motivation isn’t the ignition. It’s the gas your wins give you once you’re already moving.

“Confidence is the memory of winning”

Jerry offers one of the clearest definitions of confidence you’ll ever hear:

Confidence is the memory of winning.

Confidence doesn’t come from pep talks or affirmations alone. It comes from remembering that you’ve done hard things before.

Every time you:

• Get up with the alarm instead of hitting snooze
• Keep a promise you made to yourself
• Finish a workout you wanted to skip
• Knock out the tough task first

…you make a tiny deposit in your “memory of winning” bank.

Over time, those memories stack up and become confidence. That confidence sits at the core of an extraordinary life.

The power of micro wins

Big goals are exciting—but they can also feel crushing.

That’s why Jerry focuses on micro wins: small daily actions that build identity and momentum:

• Getting up when the alarm rings and not hitting snooze
• Doing a short workout or walk
• Completing one important task before checking social media
• Keeping one small promise to yourself every day

No one has to see these wins. No one has to clap. The quiet “good job” you feel inside is enough.

Over time, those micro wins create:

• More confidence
• More joy
• More belief that you can handle bigger challenges

Stop waiting. Start winning today.

If you’ve been stuck in “I’ll start when I feel ready,” here’s your new game plan:

1. Choose one area of your life you want to improve—health, money, relationships, business, faith.
2. Define one micro win you can complete today in that area.
3. Do it, whether you feel like it or not.
4. Repeat tomorrow.

That’s how cheetahs live. Not in massive, dramatic bursts—but in consistent, disciplined action that eventually looks like “overnight success” to everyone else.