Month: January 2009

I saw a billboard yesterday that said, “A year from now, what will I wish I had done today?”  No sponsor – just those words in very large letters against a plain background.

Our topic of MOMENTUM loomed large in my mind as I thought of the perspective that that question created.

Our answers will differ, of course, but it’s likely that each of us would want to build and maintain momentum for our true priorities over the next 12 months.

Where have we built momentum in our lives for results that don’t necessarily matter?  Can that momentum be shifted to what genuinely does matter?

A challenge:  Identify some areas of recent or current momentum that you probably wouldn’t really care about a year from now . . . then resolve to shift that momentum in favor of results you’d like to be experiencing one year from now.

Be creative and think “out of the box.”  Negative momentum can be replaced by positive momentum.  More important results can be our focus rather than lower priorities.

Momentum is a primary tool in our study of results.  Experiment with expanding your awareness of momentum and using it more wisely.

In our discussions of MOMENTUM this week, we’ve been aware of the challenges and the rewards of focusing on building, maintaining and extending momentum.

Here’s a challenge:  what is something that you have observed yourself building up and then letting go, building up and letting go . . . . . perhaps in a pattern over and over again?

Clearly, this is a point where you could benefit from focus on maintaining momentum.  Look everywhere: personal health habits, business activity, contact with friends and family, reading, date night with your life partner, meditating . . . daily planning.

As you think about when you’ve been able to attain that momentum, analyze HOW you’ve done so.  What were the circumstances that allowed that?  Was it more than just will power?  Did you have someone else’s support?

What are the key motivators for your successfully managing momentum? Would you like to try an experiment to see if you can maintain that momentum for a longer period of time than normal?  25%, 50%, 100%

It was amusing to see ad an yesterday for the new Weightwatchers Momentum(TM) plan.  You guessed it – our topic this week is momentum . . . a vital factor in losing weight and accomplishing anything that takes place over a sustained period of time.
http://www.weightwatchers.com/plan/apr/index.aspx

Mind you, momentum is meant to be used for positive means . . . like getting to a healthy weight.  However, we humans have in the past unintentionally engaged negative momentum.  We all know how it feels when you’re going the wrong direction and you can’t stop.

Yet, even negative momentum can sometimes work for us.  Peter de Jager said, “Sometimes being pushed to the wall gives you the momentum necessary to get over it.”

Has there been a particular habit or way of thinking that has persisted despite your best efforts over the years?  Consider the wisdom of breaking its momentum in this new year.  How?  By using the same energy, but turning it in a completely different direction.

Can you see the importance of working with both negative and positive momentum in your life?

Last week in her first address to the State Department, Secretary Clinton discussed the term “smart power.”  We can think of MOMENTUM, our topic this week, as “smart speed” in that momentum has specific direction and purpose.

Cultivating momentum is a highly useful strategy.  You can start small and gradually build results with modest increases . . . . always aware of how precious that constantly improving momentum is.

Can you think of a time when you had built up momentum and then lost it?  A time when you’ve been successful in maintaining momentum?  Diet and exercise are frequent examples.  What factors influenced each of these experiences?  What can we learn from that?

Experiment with momentum this week and see if you can shift your results for the better!

In our work, we know that momentum, once established, is precious.  Momentum is a term used in physics which is defined as “a measure of a body equal to the product of its mass and velocity.”

It’s defined as “the property that allows moving things to overcome resistance and keep moving in the same direction.”

In everyday life, momentum means, for example, that you establish the beginnings of a habit by eating perfectly for three days in a row.  You have momentum, and you don’t want to give it up.  Conserving on and building momentum is central to producing the results you desire.

Can you think of an aspect of your life where building and maintaining momentum could make the difference in accomplishing a result?  What difference(s) could paying attention to attention make in your life?