The Magic of Momentum
Photography Credit: Jess Zoerb
“Success is like a snowball… You gotta get it moving and the more you roll it in the right direction the greater it gets.”
– Steve Ferrante
Can you remember the sensation of spinning wildly around on the merry-go-round? You believed you had figured out the secret to defying gravity. And you had; the secret is momentum.
Your friends pile on, and it is your turn to push. You begin by using all of your strength to get the merry-go-round started. You lean into the metal bar with your whole body. The gravel and your feet slide out under you as you struggle forward. Soon the pace shifts. As if in a flash, the merry-go-round starts to pull you. You run to catch up and leap on with the others. You clench your fist tight around the bars sensing the doom of letting go. Your head feels 50 pounds heavier as you muscle your way against gravity into the center. Where you feel you could lift off. Your hair whips across your face, and you scream with pure delight.
This is the magic of momentum. Of course, momentum is something we must make an effort to create initially, but then there is a tipping point where we get to ride the wave of the energy we invested.
Momentum is a force that makes things that seem hard at first begin to carry you forward. It is the power that makes life flourish and creates lasting change. Whether with a project, a new habit, or a new way of being, what was once clunky and awkward transforms into feeling graceful and natural.
Momentum is not constant. Sometimes we feel like we have mastered momentum, and we can even take the momentum from one area of our life into something new. Other times we may have it and lose it and have to create it all over again. Momentum does not “just happen”; it results from a consistent effort, focus, and vision that eventually pays off in feeling part of something greater than oneself.
I have compiled some of my journeys and practices that have helped me cultivate momentum. First, relate them to your own life. Then, practice them daily so you can ride the currents of momentums magic!
Baby steps
When a child starts to walk, it begins with a single step, the next day more, and eventually, they walk from one side of the room into your open arms. And when they do, you celebrate! Use the practice of baby steps to build momentum.
I should surf. We live near a great surf break. I was taken to the hospital after my first surfing experience. Now I shy away from this sport and consider myself a beach walker.
However, recently I have felt the pull to learn again. Patrick and I started with a baby step of four waves on our first day: the next day, another four, and so on.
In the past, I pushed myself to accomplish too much too fast. This time I am committed to baby steps. I celebrate every time I stand up and the fact that I got out in the water with a board. It may take longer, but I am enjoying it!
Deep dive
Immerse yourself deeply into something that makes a huge life-changing impact on you. I remember coming out of Shavasana on New Year’s Eve of 2009. I declared, “I am going to do my yoga teacher training in Nosara, Costa Rica,” I decided at that moment it was something I had to do.
This training pulled me away from the life I knew. I lived and breathed all aspects of yoga for a month. Everything about me shifted so profoundly that we opened Kindness Yoga when I returned to Denver.
Fast forward, and we now live life-leading transformational retreats that give people access to a profound change in their lives. Recently a participant said, “A retreat with you all is like ten years of therapy in one week.”
Sometimes you don’t have time or patience for the baby steps. In these cases, Immerse Yourself!
For more information on our upcoming Colorado Retreat.
Commit to something for 21 days.
Creating a new habit takes 21 days. Creating a new mind takes a season, and becoming a new human takes a year! I have been fascinated by transformation for 20-plus years now. And one of the easiest ways to create a new habit has been to stick with something for 21 days.
Recently we learned that flossing is one of the greatest markers of overall health. Training yourself or your kiddos to do this takes work. So for 21 days, I have been in their bedroom when they are getting ready for bed, supporting them in this habit-making process.
“Do the things you’ve committed to doing—even when no one else is watching” - jeff olsen
Even in his later years, my father was strong and capable. One thing about him was he exercised every day.
EVERYDAY.
There were days when he got home late or was tired, but his rule was that if he could not run 5 miles, he would at least go out for 10 minutes.
WHY?
So he could keep his momentum. My father understood that one day off could break all the momentum he had created, so he would at least do something even if he could not do the full 5 miles.
Apply one of these three strategies to an area where you feel bogged down or stuck. Commit to the mindset and watch how your daily practice shifts the feeling toward the magic of momentum!
“People who succeed have momentum. The more they succeed, the more they want to succeed, and the more they find a way to succeed.”
– Tony Robbins
