Issue 51: The Momentum Effect
THE LEAP
BY QUANTUM ORANGE
GROW, EXPAND & EVOLVE
ISSUE 51 | THE MOMENTUM EFFECT
Each week The (Quantum) Leap summarises a key aspect of success into what you need to Think, Feel and Do to create a personal shift.
We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret or disappointment.
~ Jim John
THINK
In an earlier edition, we looked at the magic created by discipline. In this one, we’ll explore how you can compound that magic and propel yourself further towards success.
Momentum is the energy that takes a few small steps and turns the results into something you’d never see coming. When you develop your discipline muscle and use it to stick to the habits you’ve built, you’ll see success sooner than you think.
It’s all about laying the foundation brick by brick. Discipline plus consistency produces momentum - the positive energy and progress that will compound over time as you work towards your goals.
Bring to mind an area in your life where you think put in a lot of effort, yet things never seem to improve. Maybe you’ve been trying to get fit and started exercising but struggled to maintain it; or maybe you set a goal to not yell at the kids and it lasted for a while, but now you’re back to yelling again; perhaps it’s just trying to be more accepting in your attitude to yourself but you don’t feel any different.
Often the problem is not in what you’re doing - but in how consistently you are doing it.
In other words: taking steps, but not building momentum.
Reflect on those times where you think put in a lot of effort yet things never seem to improve. Ask yourself:
- When everything starts going well, do I keep up the effort or slack off?
- Do I have a tendency to be complacent?
- What am I consistent with and what am I not consistent with?
- How can I apply more discipline in these areas to remain more consistent?
FEEL
Momentum is the accumulated energy or power that builds behind the steps you’re taking. It multiplies the results of your effort.
Bring to mind some areas in your life where you feel as if you lost momentum and ask yourself:
- How do I feel when I fall off the wagon?
- Do I feel frustrated having to play the long game?
- Do I feel resistance now, what does that feel like and how does it show up?
- What are the necessary steps I need to take to accomplish my goal?
- What does success feel like for me?
DO
The key to building momentum is not the number of steps you take - but how close together they are. The shorter the gap, the faster you will build momentum. If the gap is too long, momentum will never occur.
Here’s a great demonstration of how the gap works to your advantage…
Meditating for an hour twice a week is not nearly as effective as meditating for twenty minutes every day.
Running eight hours once a month is not nearly as good for you as running for one hour, twice a week.
See how consistent, disciplined action can build momentum?
If there is an area of your life where you’re moving in circles, you have a momentum issue - likely that you are just not gathering enough of it to break through your current challenge.
Pick an area you’re finding it difficult to move forward in.
Check that you’re taking the right type of action. If you are, apply one of the following three tweaks to what you’re doing: increase the action, diminish the gap between steps, and/or persevere for longer.
- What habit, goal, or area of your life needs more momentum
- Do you need to spend more time taking action - or do you need to improve the quality of the action you’re taking?
- Do you need to take action more consistently? How can you apply your discipline skills to do that?
- Do you have unrealistic expectations about how long it will take to achieve your goal?
- Why does this goal matter to you?
Once you apply these actions to regain your momentum, it’s important to make sure you keep it. How long a gap you can get away with before you start moving backwards really depends on you and the activity.
If you’ve exercised daily for a year, stopping for a week is not likely to hurt you; but if you’ve only exercised regularly for three weeks, stopping for a week will likely cause you to lose all of the momentum you had built.
With that in mind - complete a daily or weekly review of your disincline and consistency to catch any necessary adjustments early.
Read. Watch. Listen.
