Never Lose Your Momentum

Have you ever experienced that unstoppable feeling when everything seems to be falling into place, only to have it all come to a screeching halt?

If so, you may have experienced the frustrating reality of losing momentum.

Coming from someone who has gotten injured more times than I can count, I simply cannot stress enough the importance of gaining, but more importantly, keeping momentum.

What Is Momentum?

In physics, it’s the ‘the quantity of motion of a moving body, measured as a product of its mass and velocity’. And in the context of a person and their lives, it means almost the exact same thing.

When you’re engaging in something, maybe a new activity or commitment, momentum is the result of consistent effort. It’s when you begin to experience the benefits and results, the positive reinforcement of the activity. It’s when motivation is at its highest, and continuing to engage feels effortless and pleasurable.

As I said, I have lost momentum many times through injury, and momentum can take going for a run from something you’re excited to do, and obsessed with, to something you dread and hate. 

Momentum doesn't just come from exercise, running is only one example, it applies to any endeavour you may be engaged in.

Picture a huge bolder; the bolder is a perfectly rounded ball that weighs a ton. Now picture trying to roll the boulder, you’re pushing as hard as possible, muscles aching, out of breath. You finally get it to budge, and then, with every push, it goes faster and faster.

Soon, you’re no longer pushing, it’s now effortlessly rolling along and will only require a slight nudge every so often to keep it going.

That’s momentum, hard at first, but effortless once in motion.

Why then, is ensuring you never lose momentum so important? Well, I’m sure you have heard the very common phrase ‘Starting is the hardest part’.

Well, losing your momentum is like starting all over again. Picture finally getting the boulder to roll, only for it to come to a dead stop shortly after, you now have to go through all of that pain to get it going again.

Therefore, to avoid ever feeling like you’re starting from the beginning, and to keep the boulder going with only a slight nudge, you should aim to avoid losing it.

How To Avoid Losing Momentum

Why do you think so many professional athletes and successful entrepreneurs are always stressing the importance of never ‘missing a day’.

It’s because they understand the importance of keeping the ball moving, as they appreciate the benefits of momentum and have experienced the pitfalls of losing it. 

Discipline:

One of the major ways to avoid losing it is to simply remain disciplined. 

Although momentum brings along a sense of ease and pleasure, what it simply cannot do is completely mitigate the impacts of life's curveballs.

One day, you’ll wake up for your morning run, you’re sore all over and the weather is atrocious. You’re fighting with your spouse and have a busy day ahead. Going for that run will feel like hell.

Missing that run could be the start of losing your momentum altogether, so remaining disciplined in these moments is extremely important.

Planning:

The other way to avoid losing momentum is to reduce the amount of obstacles in the boulder's path, although it’s rolling nice and smoothly now, there is always an unexpected stone or pebble just waiting to cause havoc.

This is all about planning ahead. Appreciating the current ease while simultaneously remaining vigilant to future problems.

This could be as simple as stretching to avoid future injuries or moving your schedule around to create time.

Embracing imperfection:

Reducing the risk of losing momentum is all about keeping the habit going, which comes with a sense of maturity and management of expectations. 

What I mean is expecting to remain perfect in your endeavours is unrealistic, and upholding these expectations may even reduce your interest in the boulder altogether. 

Therefore, understanding that life is complicated and missing a day, although important to avoid, is not the end of the world. Embracing imperfection is a part of remaining consistent and upholding the momentum.

So, on the days when running the planned distance is no longer possible, run half the distance. And if running at all becomes impossible, don’t sweat it, just make sure you do not miss the next one.

Your Next Move

Going forward, the next time you find yourself in the flow of activity or challenge, finding it joyful and effortless, remember the power of momentum.

Make sure to enjoy it and appreciate it, but also make sure to briefly remind yourself of what getting there felt like, and do everything in your power to prevent that boulder from stopping.

If the unexpected happens, and you have already begun to slow down, just imagine how much easier it would be to get the boulder moving again at full speed from a moving position, rather than a complete stop.

As I said, remaining perfect is unrealistic, so do not beat yourself up for it, just regain that momentum as soon as possible.

If you’re reading this and haven’t even reached momentum yet, reminding yourself that you’re at the hardest part will help, keep in mind that the struggle of getting it going is not a permanent experience.

From here, it’s all you, good luck.