Borrowing confidence

“You can borrow knowledge, but not action.”
— James Clear

Be honest; how many videos, articles, podcasts and conversations have you checked had only to not do that workout, write that blog post, ask for that raise or start that diet? Too many, and you’re not alone.

This is the fallacy of confusing motion with taking action. When you get into the habit of confusing motion with action, you’re not only building a hollow facade, you’re robbing your future self of confidence.

The mind does not differentiate intention from action, which makes it easy for us to share our goals, receive the dopamine hit, then proceed with inaction. Most of us are caught in this cycle. The effects of this are most felt in the future when we meet a roadblock, one we had the opportunity to prepare for, and yet remain stuck. Unable to pay the toll.

When you trick yourself into thinking you’re doing the work and complain about the missing result, you start down the path of believing that some achievements are not for you - you’re not one of those people that can do that - cultivating a false identity of being an exception to the rule and that what you need is more research and money. More motion.

The truth is, you borrowed the confidence and never paid it back. You failed to act on the motion you pursued, betraying your future self.

Ultimately, the truth is singular, you act and rise to the image you have in your mind or you sink with the promises you failed to uphold. Act, so that you may earn the confidence.