Hello Patriots,
The best way I can explain momentum is through a principle I taught my little girls when they were learning how to ride their bikes.
As is the case in most lessons, they can be related back to simple examples to help us better understand their meanings.
When my little girls first had their training wheels taken off, I noticed that they were scared to maintain their speed - they didn't want to go to fast.
When they lost their speed it soon led to an out of control wobble and an eventual crash.
I kept telling them to keep peddling, but that didn’t seem to help.
In my mind I knew it was a momentum issue, but until I explained what was happening in detail, they kept doing it.
I took them aside and explained this principle of momentum. I told them that going slower was actually making it harder to ride.
I tried to help them realize that their fear of going too fast – because of being scared of crashing - was exactly what was leading to the crash they feared.
Once they saw the need to keep their momentum up to avoid this, they were on their way.
Then whenever someone got in their way they would begin screaming, “get out of the way, I have to keep my momentum up or I am going to crash.”
Simple as this example sounds, it is powerful.
I like to take this principle a step further. Have you ever tried riding a bike uphill?
If you are out of shape, this is not an easy task.
And what makes it even harder is when you lose your momentum - this is when most people get off their bike begin walking.
The problem with walking is that you are not getting any better. You have given up and resigned to something less than what you set out to do – which was ride your bike up that hill.
If you can keep grinding and keep your speed up you are more likely to make it to the top.
It is really hard to start going uphill again once you have started slowing down.
This is the same challenge many people face in life.
When we lose our momentum, and it seems like nothing is going our way, it is often easier to stop trying.
Or at least we think it is easier to stop trying.
We decide to just accept the situation for what it is and keep chugging along at the same slow pace.
The thought of getting out of the rut we are in just seems too difficult.
This is only true if you focus on having to climb an entire mountain instead of just the next step.
I once heard James Lawrence – the Iron Cowboy – say:
"You don’t have to be perfect to make progress; you just have to be perfect in that moment of struggle. Just long enough to keep going, that’s all the perfection you need."
This is an important principle. Just be perfect enough to keep going, that’s it.
The cool thing about getting started is that just on the other side of fear is usually a much easier path.
This is where momentum comes into play.
Focus on the next step.
Find whatever it is you want to accomplish, and break it down into small parts and get started on the easiest thing first.
Don’t bite off too big of a piece - this will only leave you frustrated.
Start small, and when you see your confidence – aka momentum – build, move onto the next level.
Momentum gives you confidence, and conversely confidence gives you momentum.
They work together and are both vitally important for progress.
If you don’t think this is true, test it out.
If your challenge is poor eating. Don’t try to go Keto (or whatever your goal is) right away, start by taking small steps.
Start by cutting out soda and replacing it with water.
Then focus on your eating out. If you are eating out 4 times a week, drop it to 2.
Then add fruits and vegetable into your diet more regularly.
Adding exercise also helps you to eat healthier because you don’t want the grueling exercise you are doing to be in vain.
Once you see that these small changes are not that hard, and see that you are gaining momentum in your health goals, you can go more extreme.
Whatever it is, start small. Make progress, and double those efforts until you have reached your goal.
Then move onto the next area you want to focus on.
Don’t stop peddling, you must keep your speed up. If you falter, that’s okay, start again.
You will notice that your momentum is slowly beginning to increase.
The real challenge is when we lose our momentum all together. as It is very hard to get started again.
I cannot stress it enough; the power is in getting started. As you do so, your fear will decrease and your confidence in your ability to do hard things will rise.
This will give you the momentum you need to realize massive progress.
And trust me, momentum is a huge motivator that will help propel you forward.
Thanks for reading, Darron Rowley
Founder of Freedom Elements
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