We don’t tell ourselves, “I’m never going to write my symphony.” Instead we say, “I am going to write my symphony; I’m just going to start tomorrow.”

Here’s a principle to introduce today and adhere to it for the rest of your life: whenever you’re saying “I’m going to start tomorrow,” stop whatever you’re doing now and do something — anything — to start now .

It doesn’t have to be anything big and it doesn’t mean you have to be reckless and start working on your goals without any kind of research on how to tackle your new challenge. Just take an action that is in alignment with your new resolution and it will take you at least a little bit closer to accomplishing your objectives.

Let’s say you want to start a new diet. Instead of saying that you’re going to start tomorrow, take the first action today: inspect your pantry, lay out on the table all of the foods that you’re going to give up, and get them out of your house.

If you want to start saving money, don’t put it off until your next paycheck. Inspect your house, find things you no longer use and list them online for sale. The money you make from selling your old possessions goes straight to your emergency fund.

Such simple actions are real-world implementations of your new resolution and will greatly diminish the risk that when you wake up the next day, you won’t remember your decision to change your life ( or tell yourself that you need one more day before you start). They also make it easier to overcome your inertia and begin to develop momentum toward reaching your stated goal.

Champions aren’t made in gyms, champions are made from something they have deep inside them — a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have last-minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.

When you switch your focus from instant gratification toward long-term accomplishment, create a mental image of why you should reject the instant rewards and keep going — despite hardships, failures, sacrifices, and lack of compensation.
A detailed vision of your wished-for future will fuel your resolve, compensating for any weaknesses you might have or difficulties that might stand on your way toward success.
For example, I struggled with extreme shyness as a teenager. I set a goal to develop self-confidence and feel relaxed in all kinds of social settings. I was, and still am, an introverted lone wolf who needs solitude more than I need other people.
However, my will was strong. I knew I needed to make this change in order to stop limiting my personal growth, something I found and still find is one of my most important values. This deep desire kept me going, despite my personality being extremely unsuited to social settings.
Note that your deep desire doesn’t have to be about you. You’ve surely heard stories about people performing incredible feats of strength to rescue a victim of an accident. For example, in 2013 in Oregon, teenage sisters Hanna (age 16) and Haylee (age 14) lifted a 3,000-pound (1360 kg) tractor to save their father, who was pinned underneath it.

The mechanism that supports such impossible actions still baffles scientists.
We only know one thing for sure: under normal circumstances, Hanna and Haylee wouldn’t be able to lift a tractor. It was their will — their immense desire to save their father — that gave them superhuman strength.

If you’re struggling with a certain goal, think who could benefit from you achieving it. How could you improve somebody’s life — or perhaps even save a
life — thanks to persevering and accomplishing your objective?