The Hidden Power of a Fleeting Moment
Meaningful Movement
Takeaway: Motivation gets a bad rap for being fleeting, but sometimes a single inspired moment is all it takes to spark life-changing action. This piece explores how motivation, while not a long-term strategy, can be the catalyst for bold decisions that discipline alone might never initiate.
The Hidden Power of a Fleeting Moment
“Motivation is fleeting.”
“Discipline is what gets results.”
You’ve probably heard a version of this a hundred times—plastered across social media, repeated by coaches, baked into morning-routine podcasts. And there’s truth to it. Discipline does matter. Long-term success is built on the behaviors you repeat, not the moods you ride.
But there’s something these statements miss. Something I’ve learned the hard way.
Motivation might be fleeting, but sometimes, a fleeting moment is all you need.
Sometimes life hands you a moment—one you didn’t plan for, but that asks something of you. Say yes or say no. In that sliver of time, everything can change. All it takes is one sudden, inspirational urge to act. And sometimes, that makes all the difference.
The Start of a Transformation
I was a shy junior in high school the day a friend asked me to go on a (sort-of) blind date to prom. Normally, I’d overthink it. Decline. Play it safe. But something in me—maybe curiosity, maybe courage, maybe that sudden gust—said yes.
That yes led to my first real relationship. That relationship nudged me toward caring about my health. And that caring became the start of a full-blown transformation—not just physically, but personally.
All because I said yes in one uncharacteristic, inspirational moment.
The Start of a Career
Years later, I was working at a local gym, fresh out of college, 23 years old and already realizing the math didn’t work. I couldn’t survive off the paycheck, even if I built a full client load.
Quitting terrified me. I didn’t have a backup plan. I wasn’t some savvy entrepreneur—I was barely out of my “what do I want to do with my life?” phase. But one day, after looping the same 12-minute motivational video on YouTube for hours, I walked into my boss’s office and gave my notice.
That moment didn’t come from discipline. It came from inspiration. Temporary, emotional, motivational inspiration. The kind that doesn’t last—but doesn’t need to.
What Motivation Is Good For
Here’s the thing about those fleeting motivational highs: they’re often what give us permission to act on what we already know we want. They lower the barrier just enough to leap. And that leap can lead to something lasting.
Sometimes it’s saying yes to a date. Sometimes it’s booking a ticket, applying for a job, joining a gym, or reaching out to someone who inspires you.
Yes, discipline is how you follow through. But motivation is often how you begin.
It’s the whisper that says, maybe you can.
It’s the heartbeat that quickens just before you try.
It’s the breath you take before everything changes.
So no, don’t build your life on motivation alone. But don’t write it off either. It might just be the match that lights the way forward.
Let’s not throw out the spark just because it doesn’t burn forever.
Sometimes, it only needs to burn long enough.
~ Coach Alex
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