The Power Of Momentum
Yesterday I turned 41 and in one of my birthday texts a friend wrote, “Happy Birthday Justin! From what I can see this year will be your best one yet!” My response after thanking him was, “40 was a good year and planning on keeping the momentum rolling.”
Momentum is a powerful force and it can be built and used intentionally in the pursuit of your authentic life.
Depending on your age, you are probably familiar with Sir Isaac Newtons’ first law of motion (inertia). In 1676, Newton published Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy), which introduced the world to his first law of motion stating that an object in motion tends to stay in motion unless it is acted upon by an external force. The law also stated an object at rest tends to stay at rest–I’ll come back to the law’s focus on inertia in another note.
The influence of the external force is where the concept of momentum comes into play–the external force is what creates the momentum and determines the force of it, or how fast the object will travel, and its direction (well technically the mass of the object in motion influences it as well but this isn’t science class).
We see momentum in action in our everyday life–driving our cars (stopping, starting, collisions), throwing balls with our kids, working out, and countless other examples. The physical world constantly reminds us of the power of Newton’s first law of motion, but the law of motion and the power of momentum also impacts our nonphysical world—our confidence, thoughts, and emotions.
JAMES CLEAR’S 1% BETTER
James Clear is well known for taking Newton’s Law of Motion and applying it to the formation of habits in his book Atomic Habits, which I highly recommend if you have not read it. Clear describes the concept of getting 1% better each day–taking actions in our life and controlling our behaviors to improve 1% day; this doesn’t sound too difficult (it isn’t easy) but the compounding effect of the momentum of 1% growth a day brings exponential growth.
Getting 1% better each day has a psychological benefit that is just as powerful as its physical impact. And it's this psychological benefit that makes me such a fan of momentum–it took me a minute to get here, so thanks for sticking with me. It builds confidence, begins to push negative thoughts out of the mind, and allows us to be happy with our progress.
Trying to go from zero to one hundred feels like an impossible task, which is why most people give up on goals, New Year’s resolutions, and fall back into the inertia they were trying to break out of. By focusing on the end goal and trying to get there as fast as possible, it often appears as if we’re not making progress–that there is no momentum–so we give up.
To avoid this frustration, instead of focusing on the end goal, focus on the micro actions and milestones along the path to the end goal–the 1% better each day mindset. Focus on little things you can do each day and as you achieve the micro actions or hit the milestones along the way you build confidence, you see the small improvements, and you build up momentum. The more you continue to do this applies more force, if we revisit Newton’s laws, and the more momentum you build. The more momentum you build the greater the likelihood is you reach your goal.
Remember, an object in motion tends to stay in motion.
As I enter my 41st year, I have goals to achieve and things I want to see happen before 42 arrives. Instead of keeping my eyes on the end goal, which is what I would have done in the past, I’m just focusing on what I can do each day to move me toward those goals and remaining patient as I continue to build up the momentum of the last year. If I’m not continuing to add force to the momentum, other outside forces will come and slow it down and potentially cause me to stall. As long as the force I apply to my momentum is strong enough to offset the force from outside forces, I’ll continue moving along my pursuit.
Recently, especially with these Daily Notes, I’ve noticed focusing on adding to my momentum daily has allowed me to enjoy the process more. I am excited to write these notes because I’m not focusing on what the end goal for them is…I’m just focusing on writing the day’s note. I’ve built up so much momentum with the notes I’m not even worried about keeping the streak of hitting publish going–I know the streak will continue because I enjoy writing so much I don’t want to miss an opportunity to sit down and write.
As you chase down your authentic life and look to create new habits, change the direction of your life, or reach major milestones use the power of momentum to your advantage. As powerful of an advantage that momentum can be, it can have the reverse effect if you allow the momentum to be built against you.
Build it in your favor, not against it.
See you tomorrow and keep pursuing,
JC
