Motion vs. Action
Lessons from cars, gyms, and writing about turning intentions into results
In Atomic Habits, James Clear talks about Motion vs. Action. Motion is planning, researching, preparing. Action is doing the thing that leads to a result. I think at times we all have been stuck in “motion” and could use a little more “action”.
This is something that’s been on my mind lately. I'm going to do my best to unpack it with some real-life examples—things I’ve actually done, and things I still only talk about doing.
I often ask myself: What’s something I really want to do? And what’s stopping me from doing it? When I hear someone say, “I’ll do that once I retire,” or “after the kids move out,” or “when I have more time,” I think of all the conversations I’ve had about investing—people who say, “I’d love to do that, I just don’t have time.”
To be clear, I’m not judging anyone. I’ve been there. This is just my perspective.
Some Background
I grew up around cars. We fixed ours to keep them running on the cheap, did repairs for others to make extra cash, and worked on “project” cars. When I was a kid, my dad was slowly piecing together a car from parts. It took years before he even pushed the shell into the garage. I’d help him now and then—either because I wanted to, or because he thought I’d spent too much time playing video games.
Over the years, I’d tag along to scrapyards, swap meets, and car shows. My dad rarely talked about his car unless he was buying or trading something. Other guys, though, loved to talk—about the car they were working on, the one they were planning to work on, or the one they drove in high school.
Many years went by and my dad’s car was finally finished. Or at least finished enough to hit the road. During that time, almost none of the people we met made any real progress on their own builds. Maybe 1 in 20 followed through. I asked my dad why so many people say they’re going to do something they love, and then don’t.
His answer stuck with me:
“Everyone wants to talk about doing a car. Very few people really want to do one. It’s easier to talk about it than put the work in.”
Something I Did
In 2020, I bought a house with an attached garage. I’d never considered building a home gym—until COVID hit and the gym closures made me reconsider. The rules around going to a gym felt ridiculous, so I started planning a garage gym where I could invest in my health and longevity on my own terms. Bonus: no sharing. (Only child problems.)
Back then, a lot of gym equipment wasn’t available—or was way too expensive. If I wanted to make the space work, I’d have to get creative and build things myself. I started gathering tools and supplies from Facebook Marketplace and Home Depot.
If I wanted to make the most out of my space, I had to get creative. I tried out making a French Cleat system to hang some of my accessories on. I had never made anything like it before, and I screwed it up a few times. The finished product works well for my space. I can re-arrange the location of equipment as my needs change.
I even made a leg extension attachment for the power rack. The lever is made out of some bushings, square tubing and bed frame that I got on Facebook. I had to make the seat for it as well.
Here is what the gym looked like originally.
Here is what it looks like now.
My gym isn’t perfect. I’ve redone my deadlift platform several times (and will do it again soon). Some things don’t get used as much as I thought they would. But I’m proud of it. It’s not fancy, but it’s comfortable, and it has everything I need.
And most importantly: I didn’t just talk about it—I did it. That’s what I’m most proud of. I stuck with it, even when it was frustrating, inconvenient, or messy.
Something I Talked About Doing For Too Long (and Finally Did)
I’ve been writing off and on for over a decade. Some years I was motivated. Some years, not so much. I’d spend hours brainstorming ideas or redesigning my blog layout, but rarely published anything consistently.
I realized I was stuck in motion—spending too much time thinking and not enough time doing.
By the end of 2023, I’d had enough of hearing myself say, “I’d write more if I had the time.” I sketched out a rough list of topics and made a commitment to post consistently. I’m proud to say I’ve been doing that for over 24 months now. It’s become a habit—and a discipline.
The shift for me was twofold. I switched from identifying myself as someone who writes to a writer. I also switched to tracking my output from number of posts per week to writing for at least 30 minutes per workday.
Have I posted some nonsense? Absolutely. Spelling errors, blurry images, underbaked thoughts—yep. But I’ve also published work that’s resonated with readers and helped generate real investment ideas. Consistent action has created data points and feedback loops that no amount of overthinking could have given me.
I’m happy to say that I posted over 100 times in 2025.
A Couple of Things I Talked About Doing (and am working on doing regularly)
Let me be clear: I’m not immune to this. I’ve still got a backlog of things I say I want to do but haven’t.
Minor stuff, like:
Replace the broken outdoor lights (it’s more than just replacing the bulb).
Clean out drawers that haven’t been organized in years.
Hang up pictures that have been leaning against the wall for months.
But there’s a couple things that really matters to me:
Making more in-person friends
So many men (myself included) get their social bucket filled with work relationships. In fact there is a joke that goes something like this: “Once a man retires, he takes up two new hobbies… golf and depression.” Since leaving the corporate world, it has been harder to hang onto friends.
I’ve got great online connections and friends, but in-person friendships hit differently. And honestly, I don’t have many close, local friends. Definitely not any “move-the-body” friends—the kind you’d trust with anything, no questions asked.
I’ve made some efforts—reaching out to people, trying to reconnect—but nothing has stuck. Schedules, life, my own social quirks, who knows. It’s something I want to change, and I’m trying to move that intention into action.
Showing more gratitude
A few years ago I read about eulogy virtues in Arthur Brooks book From Strength to Strength.
Since then I have tried to be more present and show gratitude. But like anything else that wasn’t already part of my regular routine and habits, I would be hit or miss on it. This year I have made a pledge to myself to show more gratitude by sending someone a thank-you at least once per month.
Closing Thoughts
We all have things that we have made part of our identity. I would wager than many readers have their personal finance house in order. Once you are on the other side of the transition, it can be challenging to relate to those who haven’t gotten there yet. I know I have this challenge whenever someone asks me how much protein they should be taking in.
Is there something you've stopped talking about and finally done? Or something you still talk about but haven’t yet pulled the trigger on?
I’d love to hear about it.
Thanks for reading my work.
Dean
thats a very nice home gym. i might be so bold as to suggest its WAY overkill but its very nice regardless !
Awesome post. Is the car still hanging around? That’s a beauty!