We usually think of this the other way around. We get motivated and then we act. And it’s great when things work out that way, but very often they don’t and we end up stuck, wondering how to make ourselves feel what we think we need to feel in order to act. I try to stress the importance of not waiting to attain any particular emotional state or mindset before doing things that matter. The secret is that once we start actually doing the things that are important to us, that energetic, motivated feeling we hoped for often begins to emerge.

If we’re going to work towards acting before we feel fully ready we need the ability to experience  nervousness, insecurity, anxiety, or fear without letting it stop us. Once we recognize that all of these feelings are a collection of uncomfortable,  largely physical, sensations that don’t necessarily predict anything about our ability to act or the magnitude of the threats we face, it gradually becomes easier to allow ourselves to feel what we’re feeling and keep moving.