'Getting momentum going is the most difficult part of the job, and often taking the first step is enough to prompt you to make the best of your day’ ~ Robert J. McKain

What Triggered this?

As a sports enthusiast, I love to watch the NBA action, besides soccer. Not so long ago I woke up feeling lazy to even engage in my daily devotion of meditation and prayer. I walk straight up to the living room, grab the remote control and switch to ESPN sports channel. The sports announcer says, "Going into the all-star break, the Chicago White Sox have the momentum." The headlines declare "Chicago Bulls Gaining Momentum." The coach pumps up his team at half-time, saying "You have the momentum; the critical need is that you use that momentum and bury them in this third quarter."

It just hit me that Momentum is a commonly used term in sports. A team that has the momentum is on the move and is going to take some effort to stop. A team that has a lot of momentum is really on the move and is going to be hard to stop. Momentum is a physics term; it refers to the quantity of motion that an object has. A sports team that is on the move has the momentum. If an object is in motion (on the move) then it has momentum.

High School Physics

From my high school knowledge on physics, Momentum can be defined as "mass in motion." All objects have mass; so if an object is moving, then it has momentum - it has its mass in motion. The amount of momentum that an object has is dependent upon two variables: how much stuff is moving and how fast the stuff is moving. Momentum depends upon the variables mass and velocity. In terms of an equation, the momentum of an object is equal to the mass of the object times the velocity of the object.

Momentum = mass • velocity

Enough of my high school physics, I must admit though, I had to throw it in here to impress you. I went to school you know, Lol :D Anyway, overcoming inertia should be easy but it isn’t. The Gap; Why do we end up dreaming without doing? I would recommend you read the ‘Mind-The-Gap’ article on my blog here. Is it fear that stops us? At this point I don’t really care if its fear of failure or fear of success itself. I’d rather kick whatever it is in the ass and move forward.

‘Never confuse motion with action.’ ~ Benjamin Franklin

Just Do It

“Just Do It”, Nike tells. But doing isn’t enough. We must not confuse busyness with taking the next major action that propels us toward our intended result. Case in point, the task of writing my first blog entry could have easily drifted toward a task of lower return like searching for just the right design colors and layout-which is vital. Instead I had to resist that urge and take the more difficult path of doing what mattered most- wrestling those original ideas into these words. I’m willing to bet and put my dollars on the line that you wouldn’t be here if this blog-site had a great color scheme but with absolutely no content.

Remember, good is the enemy of the best. We must do something significant with forward momentum. I had to write that first sentence of the first article ‘Action Without Audience’and gave inertia the boot. Here you are, excited, reading this article.

‘Enthusiasm is the energy and force that builds literal momentum of the human soul and mind.’ ~ Byrant H. McGill

Just as any form of mastery takes practice, so does momentum. You don’t do one great deal and then think that every deal you subsequently make will automatically be great. You don’t get a great rhythm going once and then think it will always be there. In Jazz world (my favorite genre of music) even the greatest (jazz) musicians know there’s a “zone” they’re aiming for, and hopefully they’ll get there. But they don’t take it for granted that they will. They work at it every time they play.

Energy

Momentum comes in different forms, but its common denominator is energy. Some synonyms are power, force, strength, impetus, and drive—all good things for accomplishments of any sort. We’ve all heard of biorhythms and how we have high days and low days, but my approach to that is to design your own chart and then work at maintaining it. I’ve designed my biorhythms to always be on full speed ahead. Am developing my stamina to keep up to that level of commitment and the results are apparent at this point.

Many things become easier with practice and experience, and momentum is one of them. You can take advantage of this great energy source just by being aware that it exists. Find your own current and then go with it! Don’t allow for distractions. Do everything you can to maintain your energy flow.

‘The world is wide, and I will not waste my life in friction when it could be turned into momentum.’ ~ Frances Willard

Why is momentum desired, and so important? It inspires you to work harder and better. It will grow your passion for the task at hand. It feeds into itself, providing a 1+1 = 3 effect. Having momentum is perhaps the only way to get things done fast, yet still remain proficient. It is cumulatively building. It provides the ultimate focus

In his book, ‘’Think Like A Champion’’, Donald J. Trump, the American Real Estate Billionaire,says ‘There was a hugely successful real estate developer that I admired very much, and then he went into a decline. We saw each other at a party, and I pointedly asked him what caused this to happen. He said, “Donald, I lost my momentum, and I couldn’t get it back.”When this guy fell, he fell hard. I learned a great lesson from him that night, so much so that I devoted a lot of time to studying and applying the power of momentum to my own life and business. I didn’t ever want that to happen to me, and I repeat this story for a reason. The lesson applies whether you’re in real estate or not.’

Commitment is the igniter of momentum. ~Peg Wood

Momentum Is Something You Have to Work at to Maintain. Like Mr. Trump, I have devoted my time to not only study but apply the power of momentum to my own life, career and business. I see people who get in their own way when it comes to momentum. There are folks who would take ten big fast steps forward and then sit there, like they’d reached a plateau, and then expect things to just keep moving forward. It doesn’t work that way! In this country I’ve seen the {the one hit wonders}; wannabe musicians produce a hit song, immediately they join the ‘the celebrity ranks’ then they retreat, and that’s all we remember of them. I’ve seen a lot of young brilliant people begin very exciting ventures, they reach a certain level of influence and success and then stop. Why; they lost their Momentum.

‘Success requires first expending ten units of effort to produce one unit of results. Your momentum will then produce ten units of results with each unit of effort’ ~ Charles J. Givens

Maybe they like the roller coaster approach to life, but they literally wear themselves out before they have enough substantial success to see them through, and their ups and down s don’t work out on the balance sheet in the long run. Watch out for streaks of momentum that you can’t sustain—keep your equilibrium in all things, even in your energy output.

‘The most important thing you can do to achieve your goals is to make sure that as soon as you set them, you immediately begin to create momentum.’ ~ Anthony Robbins

My advice to you regarding momentum is definitive:

Get yours going!