What is momentum and how can you employ its quality to enrich and enhance your life?
As defined by Merriam Webster:
momentum
noun
: the strength or force that something has when it is moving
: the strength or force that allows something to continue or to grow stronger or faster as time passes
physics : the property that a moving object has due to its mass and its motion
The Strength and Power of Momentum
Have you ever noticed that when you are “in the zone”, you are practically unstoppable at any task you put your mind to? In complete contrast, have you also experienced a lull in your activity where, no matter how hard you try, it seems that your body resembles that of a tired sloth?
It happens even to the best of us… it just happens less to those of us who understand the concept and strength of MOMENTUM and the power it has over us all.
We can see the power of momentum by the height of the swells when dealing with the ocean and its waves. You can either surf it into an epic adventure or allow it to come crashing down on you and swallow you into its abyss.
Movement gives momentum power
MOMENTUM is “the strength or force that something has when it is moving”. If we dissect this definition, we discover that the most important part, which gives momentum its strength, is motion or movement. In the absence of motion, there is no momentum. In physics, it is known that if there is motion, there is a force acting and present. There is no motion if a force does not exceed the friction required to keep it at rest. If there is no motion, then there is no force acting. Therefore force and motion are directly correlated to momentum.
Merriam goes on to also state that MOMENTUM is “the strength or force that allows something to continue or to grow stronger or faster as time passes”. In my opinion, this definition resonates with me much more as there is a coefficient of time. As time passes, this force continues to grow stronger and build… thus creating this phenomenon we call MOMENTUM.
By using momentum to power your strides towards success, you’ll find it much easier to attain your goals. You will seem like a superhero to your peers as you efficiently tackle the most difficult and complex tasks.
How to Avoid Losing Momentum
Momentum is a force with motion whereas the complete opposite would be no motion or complete rest.
Now that we understand this; how do we maximize its innate nature and capitalize on it and efficiently attain your goals?
As stated, we need to avoid friction in order to keep that momentum moving. So how does a body in motion come to rest you might be asking (conjure your high school physics knowledge).
Newton’s First Law of Motion states; “Every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it”.
This “external force” that would stop motion and thus halt momentum is friction; the resistance that one surface or object encounters when moving over another.
So if we want to avoid losing momentum, we must try and avoid friction at all cost. You may not understand how all this science is going to enhance your life. I don’t blame you, but I promise you it will all make sense.
Ok now, here is the part you been waiting for… in our lives, why do we need momentum, and what type of momentum? (Cue drumroll) Momentum can be utilized and applied to almost everything in our lives by applying more force to it. Let me give you an example. When surfing, you will quickly understand that starting from a rest position is much more difficult than if you were already moving. It makes sense, but this is due to the fact that much more force must be applied to overcome a static state. Once the board is moving, it requires less force to keep it in motion and moving along as you enjoy carving up the ocean swells.
How do we apply this in our lives?
Think about the goals or tasks that seem like they are daunting and too big to tackle. Now think about the obstacles (friction) that keep you from building up momentum and accomplishing each of these feats to give you that rush of dopamine that your body has been craving. Friction comes in all forms in our lives and keep us from accomplishing our goals. Some examples of friction are: friends (who are great, but can distract you), FOMO (fear of missing out), lack of confidence, fear, time constraints, lack of commitment, self doubt, cravings, etc.
So the question is, how do we best deal with and handle situations where we are faced with friction?
If your goals are important to you, you must make the decision to mitigate and diffuse as much friction as possible. It would be ideal to eliminate all friction, but that is highly unlikely so I recommend what works for me. Make these excursions with friction part of the plan. In doing this, you will not feel guilty about it because it was part of the intended plan. What you can and cannot deal with is up to you to decide.
Some of us have greater willpower than others. In knowing this, take your long-term goal and break it up into attainable shorter goals. Put together a plan for success… once you hit the smaller goal, then move onto the next one. By doing this, you will keep the momentum going and never stall. You may slow down from time to time, but if slowing down occasionally was part of the plan, then you will remain on course.
A successful plan is one that can be implemented and properly executed. Now go and write that plan for your own success. If you find it too challenging, there are many coaches and experts out there who you can call upon to assist you with this, but it is you who has to own and carry this plan out in order to achieve success.
Good luck and Godspeed.
*Disclaimer: after rereading my own writing, I realized that this blog is one of geekiest ways to formulate your own success, but the lesson is there.