”If we take care of the moments, the years will take care of themselves.”
-Maria Edgeworth
Momentum. It is one of those words that we don’t really think about, but it can carry a lot of weight if we reflect on its meaning. Merriam-Webster defines momentum as the “strength or force gained by motion or a series of events.”
In sports, momentum is something that is often felt when the other team suddenly fumbles the football and your team recovers the fumble to score a touchdown. Then, the crowd starts singing “Eye of the Tiger” or some other fierce song as the momentum continues to shift. Now, your team is building on the multiplier effect from this extremely hype crowd. The team begins to score on every play creating even more…. you guessed it! Momentum.
Momentum can literally be the game changer not only in sports but in your life. If you created goals in January and are a high achiever, your stress can begin to compound during this time of year if you have not taken any action towards reaching them.
In a previous article, I talked about the “TDR Factor” of talent, drive, and resilience to help you reach any goal. Momentum can also be a moment to moment action or movement that you create in your daily life to keep you focused and actively working towards your goals. It gives you energy during those times when you want to give up or when you are not sure where to even start.
Our Worst Enemy
Momentum can be a stress reliever because it can stop us from one of our worst enemies…procrastination.
Momentum is measured through the mass or sheer volume of an object. If a moving object has some weight, it will create momentum (or movement) for the other objects in its path almost like a domino effect.
It can have the same effect in our lives. You may have a project or another task that you need to complete, but the “mass volume” of the project causes you to procrastinate or become overwhelmed.
Once you begin taking steps to complete this massive project, the momentum shifts and gives you the confidence and energy that you need to finish all projects. This lightens your load and reduces your stress. You eventually begin to see progress from your daily steps or actions, which leads to more momentum.
If you don’t continue to quickly build on this momentum, you can easily become overwhelmed again, which leads to more than procrastination.
To Act or Not to Act….
Inaction is even worse than procrastination because there is no movement. It prevents you from getting anything done. You may have a great idea or desire to change a situation, but you are afraid to act. You may have an assignment that needs your attention, but you are afraid that you don’t know where to begin.
Momentum is completely lost during inaction because you don’t have anything to build upon.
There is a saying that “action comes before motivation.” We think that motivation will happen before we are inspired to act, but it’s actually the other way around. Action or engagement motivates you when you’re just getting started, and momentum captures that energy forcing and inspiring you to do even more.
There have been many times in my personal and professional life where I added undue stress and pressure to complete something that could have been finished earlier if I had only taken the first step.
Once the task or project was completed, I realized it wasn’t that difficult and would have taken less time if I had acted earlier. I hadn’t missed a deadline, but completed it right before the self-imposed or project driven deadline causing unnecessary stress.
Gaining Speed?
Think about something in your past that you had been putting off for the perfect moment or timing. Once you finally started to work on the project, you probably noticed that your workload and stress were even greater due to the size of the project and the limited time remaining to complete it. You may even complete the project faster than expected and ask yourself why it took you so much time and effort to get started.
Momentum can help you remain on track and maintain your energy throughout any process whether you are completing a project, writing a blog post or playing a game.
The magnitude and speed of a project can give you momentum. It is a powerful tool and driving force that can be used to your advantage when the volume and speed of projects or ideas pick up in your life and career. Why? Momentum is hard to stop. Once something is moving, it takes less effort to keep it moving.
Remember, the movie “Speed” about the speeding bus with Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock? The bus couldn’t stop for other reasons (I am avoiding spoiler alerts here – but can a person even have spoiler alerts for movies in the 90’s)?
Once they could safely stop the bus, it kept moving and was difficult to stop because of its weight and speed. This is what happens when you ride the momentum wave in the right direction. It keeps growing and growing and soon, you are surfing above water and making progress in many areas of your life and career.
It does not mean that things are easier or mean that you will see instant progress. It means that you are able to sustain long-term achievement and reduce stress through the momentum that you are building each day. It fires you up and keeps you excited about what’s to come. But, how can you gain momentum?
Tips to Gain Momentum
- Take the First Step
- Take the first step towards your dream or completing that big project, no matter how small the step. The first step is usually the hardest. Every great creation or innovation began with a thought. That thought turned into an idea, the idea turned into a plan, and the plan turned into action. It takes action to turn your dreams into reality and momentum to keep going.
- Minimize Distractions
- If you have a goal or project that you are focused on, give it your full attention. Minimize distractions such as your phone, social media or television. At work, create a block of time that is focused on your task and create time for interpersonal communications with your colleagues since both are important to perform at your highest level. If you are constantly focused on the task, you may not build great relationships with your team members. If you are solely focused on the interpersonal aspects of your role, you may never complete the projects or task at hand. Distractions can be costly since it usually takes 15 minutes or more to regain your focus (if you regain it at all). Avoid distractions to sustain your momentum throughout each day.
- Avoid Multitasking
- Focusing on a single task is also important. Multitasking has been proven ineffective. It is an area that is hard for many people to break because they are juggling a lot, but mistakes increase during multitasking. Giving our all to one task before moving to the next task is critical to create quality and timely work. You can work on different projects or different phases of a single project over a period of time, but focus on one aspect or task during each block of time. It will also help reduce stress from the ping-pong effect that happens when we bounce from one task to the next and back again. The ping-pong effect prevents you from getting anything done…it is like starting to read another great book before you finish the first one. You may eventually finish both books, but you never really build momentum since your brain is constantly switching gears. It may take you twice as long to finish them both rather than giving your full attention to reading and finishing the first book. You also don’t have a sense of completion that gives you a momentum boost if you never see things through to the end due to the ping-pong effect.
- Build on the Multiplier Effect
- As in the example about the momentum shift during a game, the same can happen for you personally. Your energy and momentum can have a multiplier effect on those around you who are ready for change and ready to take action on their next big project, idea or creation. Your energy begins to give you more momentum as you see the finish line getting closer and closer for a key project or your big idea becomes your new reality because of the steps you have taken and the people that you are surrounded by who are cheering you on.
- Increase your Confidence
- Remember, the definition of momentum? It is “strength or force gained by motion or a series of events.” When you have a series of accomplishments, ideas that you have turned into a business, or successfully completed projects, it increases your confidence. Confidence can give you strength to continue moving forward, but the key here is “motion.” You must take action and continue doing something every day to build the confidence to achieve your larger dreams, goals, and desires in life. Confidence is the ability to admit and learn from your mistakes, while also boldly moving forward knowing that you are not defined by your mistakes. It is being open about your lack of knowledge in some areas, while recognizing that you have the drive and skills to continue excelling to reach the next level in your life and career if you just keep learning and moving forward.
You too can use the power of momentum. As with a sports team who uses momentum to regain their focus and play with excellence, you can accomplish more when you have it.
Momentum is about movement and takes more energy to regain once its completely lost.
We can’t progress at all if we are standing still. So, whatever you do, keep moving in 2019.
You might just be amazed at how much you have accomplished at the end of this year by taking small steps each day and keeping the momentum alive to push forward even when you don’t feel like moving.
Let the tips shared here to gain and sustain momentum be the game changer in your life and career.
Use momentum to win your moments and win your days, so you can win the years that will make up a lifetime.
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