Momentum

There is a word that is used to describe an invisible force that pulls you in one direction. This force, much like gravity, it's assumed to always be here. Instead of disappearing it moves from one place to another, drawing things closer. Things like energy, belief or maybe even excitement. Think back to the last time you felt as everything was going your way. You made the first traffic light, made it to work 5 minutes sooner than normal, found doughnuts at the office waiting for you when you walked through the door.There was a force behind all of it and we commonly refer to this as momentum.

Maybe the easiest example of this can be seen in front of your TV on any given Sunday in the Fall season. The Green Bay Packers (I am unapologetically a Packer fan) are playing the Chicago Bears. The Bears start the game with the ball and go down and score. The next series, the Bear’s defense stops the Packers cold, and it feels like it is finally the day that the Bears will have a decisive victory in the border battle. Just then the punt was fumbled, and the Packers recover. One play later, on a back shoulder pass, the Packers tie the game and all the momentum that the Bears had is now gone and never returns as America’s Team wins another game against their rivals (again unapologetically a Packer fan).

You will hear it time and time again on the post-game program that the momentum shifted on that one play. That invisible force that dictates who or what is in control at any moment shifted from one team to another and that is what changed the fate of the game. This happens in our daily life too. Just the other day I added too much coffee to the pot, and it seemed like we were drinking the coffee grounds all morning. What was going to be a relaxing cup of coffee turned into a disaster and kicked the day off on the wrong foot. I had zero momentum and it was 6:00 am. Chalk this day up as a loss and we will get them next time. Just survive the day and wait for the next one to start, and don’t screw up the coffee next time.

I feel this in our business too. When things are going well it is easy to say that we have this force that is driving the business and everyone is using the energy to grow and flourish. Problem is, when the opposite is true, when we feel like nothing is going right, things are tough, we cannot catch a break, everyone has that defeated feeling. We cannot seem to keep the coffee grounds out of the morning pot of coffee. Why do we do this? Even as I write this I am laughing because I can see how self-defeating this is. But I see it and feel it ALL THE TIME.

There is nothing wrong with momentum, and honestly just like gravity, it is not going anywhere. The key to this is using this to your advantage. Show of hands, who would like to have momentum on their side all the time? Unless you are driving or holding a baby, I will assume your hand went straight up in the air. Momentum is 100% in your control, and you get to influence it and then ride the wave that follows. Here is how. Remember how my cup of coffee with all the grounds ruined my morning, the key to that event was my feelings around it. I felt like I missed out on my opportunity to a peaceful morning. The emotion I tied to that caused me to feel defeated. I was allowing a cup of coffee dictate my mood. How ridiculous is that, this inanimate object was to determine my mood, laughable right! But we do this all the time because we do not take the time to check ourselves and the emotions behind a situation.

The next time you find yourself struggling or feel that momentum is starting to slip away from you, stop and write it down. Write down your feelings in the moment. How do you feel and why. Let’s go back to my example with the coffee. I felt disappointed and why? Because I messed up our morning coffee. I could continue my day feeling like I got off on the wrong foot and that was just the day I was going to have, or I could stop, write it down and turn it all around. The thing is, when we write this out and bring it from our brain into reality, we shine a different light on it. The out of touch generalizations that we make in our head get flushed out and changed when we write it down.We get to look at them from a different angle.

By writing down your feelings, you take control of your momentum. You make the momentum you are looking for and ride the force that propels actions leading to the results you are looking for. Eliminate that feeling of inevitable failure, maintain that level of excitement that you started your journey with and see it through to realize your dreams. Are you ready to take control? The best time to start is right now!