We all experience some level of momentum that can go in many different directions. Sometimes that's momentum that's built up gets us towards the things that we want, we're doing something positively that it makes us want to continue to build on that it can feel like it is naturally flowing to what you want.
Maybe the day is going extremely well, when people are friendlier and courteous, school or work seems to be going so smoothly or you’re just making significant progress in your health or advancing in reaching your goals. As this happens there's a tendency to become more confident and calmer where the best parts of you are magnified. It's almost like a generated force that you’re riding that feels so invigorating, almost where things can only go right.
But momentum can change very swiftly and sometimes it starts off very small that can be turned in the opposite direction. Where things are turning for the worse and negative outcomes start to occur. The day could start off great only for it to be affected by one person that is rude and obnoxious, or you're not able to find your homework or that project that you've worked on that is needed right now.
This can give the feeling of here we go into experiencing a bad day. And if left that, it can spiral into other things not going well. What happens in moments like this is that negative outcomes or the things that we don't want to happen are what's focused on and that activates frustration, anger or feeling helpless. If you are not aware of how this affects you it will have its way, where things can continue down the same path.
Recognize tendency and stop digging
What's going to help you manage momentum is to just recognize your tendencies and how you first react to them. The instinct is generally to react with emotions because that's part of that survival mechanism that we all have, to try to defend ourselves from the things that we feel threatened by and to go after the things that we desire, especially after we experience them. This is going to be beneficial in both directions, both positive and negative.
When you experience a big wave of success in whatever you're pursuing whether it's in school, business, sports or just in life in general it's going to be important to not get too carried away with it. If that does happen that's where it inflates the ego. It’s natural to go too far in any one direction, things are not all going to be all rosy, but they also won’t be that things are falling apart.
It's going to be helpful to maintain a composed and balanced outlook in whatever things that you're facing. In experiencing that big wave of success having that balanced approach is knowing to enjoy the moments that you're in because they can be at times relatively short lived as we all know things can change quickly. But also, it can go the opposite direction, in things not going well and then improving.
Having this calm and balanced approach makes you better equipped to regulate your emotions to use them to your advantage but not be dictated by them. Positioning yourself for this allows you to pivot a lot more quickly so when you do experience negative momentum where things are starting to deteriorate you can begin to handle it a lot better by slowing down and even stopping that momentum.
Start with a strong foundation focusing on doing the little things correctly focusing on your behaviors and your actions. We're all going to experience mishaps and unfortunate things but the difference in preventing it from snowballing for the worse it to behave well even though the inner dialogue can be a shipwreck.
Be patient by slowing down your breathing in a controlled manner and this will slow down your thinking that is going to allow you to process the emotions your experiencing and leverage them to your advantage. This could be making a small joke about what just happened to lighten the mood, it takes some of the pressure off so you can breathe better.
If not conditioned to handle intense moments the tendency is to become tense and defensive, that makes everything seem to be going way too fast and will trigger desperation.
Desperation mode does serve a purpose to survive but it can get in the way to make things worse. If you just take a look at a hit and run accident, for most of us panic does set in, and our instinct is to want to run from the scene because we want to avoid paying for the damages we're at fault for. But in doing so we're just digging ourselves into a deeper hole because now not only was it an accident that was caused but now it’s fleeing the scene that brings on further repercussions.
Focus on doing one good thing
Once you're able to recognize the tendencies you have when things are slipping away from you and can behave and act in ways to stabilize the situation then you can pivot into gaining that positive momentum. If not, there will be the want to just stay in place, not wanting anything bad or good to happen. The longer being in that state the harder it is to get out of it. Being too comfortable can be sticky because there is no motivation to do anything else, it can keep you content but not excited for much.
Combat that by putting all your focus on doing one good thing, something that gets you headed in the right direction and that is attainable. Something small that gets your juices starting to flow and can build confidence. Once you’re able do one good thing, do one more good thing in that same direction. The more you do this the more you build momentum in that will benefit you. After each good thing you do make sure to remind yourself about it, that way the negatives things that happen become less and less significant.
Take for instance health struggles, they can be a scary thing to deal with because it could mean very little time left. Depressive thoughts can become more prevalent that makes one want to lay down and just accept it and do nothing. But if the focus is on just going on a one hour walk and completing it, it can feel validating because it can help process what is going on and getting the body in motion gets the mind working to think differently about what can be done and not what can’t be done. This could lead to going on more walks, eating healthier to uplift the mood, reading empowering stories and being around uplifting people. All this can be sparked by just doing one good thing.
We all have something that we are motivated by that makes us want to change, that is the why for change and momentum is how that change can happen. So that motivation is this destination and all the behaviors and actions that you do are what's going to get you there. No matter how small or how insignificant things may seem it can be a real difference in the direction that you're headed in.
Those things that you tell yourself, the body language that you display and the tone of voice in which you speak all add up to the momentum that you're building to. Are you going to be building it in a positive direction or in a negative direction. It's understandable to have those intrusive destructive thoughts but the key is to minimize them by highlighting those good things that you do. And the things that you repeat to yourself are what tend to stick. So the more that you do things well, the better you feel about yourself and that allows you to be relaxed ready to strike with precision instead of tense misfiring.
Find the rhythm
Just about anything that we do in the beginning takes time as there's going to be a period of being out of rhythm feeling like things are not coming together but with enough consistent effort eventually, we’re going to find where things start to click. And momentum works in the same way where you're trying to get it back and as you're trying it may not feel like it's coming together but just remember when you learned to ride a bike or you learn to rollerblade, or ice skate there is a period of getting acclimated to finding your balance to where you feel safe enough that you can position yourself and even start to go in motion.
Once you get a little bit of that feeling that you got the hang of it then there's the want to speed things up to push the boundaries and see how well you can do. You'll get into a rhythm of being faster and quicker and even as you do that it almost will seem like things have slowed down and are no longer overwhelming or at least less overwhelming.
It's important to note that as you're pushing the boundaries to speed things up and building momentum to remain in control, remain in balance where you're not being reckless that derails your pursuit. We've all been there where we feel like I got the hang of it maybe it's riding your bike you're peddling really slowly and then you feel like you got it and then you might be going at a really high speed only for a pothole to be in the way that throws you off balance and you take a nosedive.
Understand that that's OK you're want to push the envelope when you gain confidence can make you take some big risk and it's not so much to shy away from it but just be cautious in those risks that you do take. Some of them are going to serve as a good learn an opportunity but some of them can be damaging to your confidence.
If you can bounce back relatively quickly from the mistakes and failures, then great use that momentum so you try new things. To get acclimated to taking some cracks that further builds your mental fortitude. But if some of those risks that you take on where the fall really hurts, and you feel like not wanting to pursue certain things then it's OK to take a break from it know that that doesn't make you weak. It's just an opportunity to see that you need to take a break from it so you can be rejuvenated.
Resilience isn't just about quickly bouncing back from the setbacks that you experience but it's knowing when to say today is enough and that you need your own time to recover from it. It's not just man up and fight through it because that can suppress the ability to communicate effectively. Now this is not to say that in any sort of adversity or pain or uncomfortableness that's felt that you retreat to safety but it's knowing that when things have just gotten too much that you've taken an unnecessary beating whether emotionally or physically. It’s knowing your breaking point.
Final thoughts
Momentum is a very powerful force, learn how to recognize it and how you handle it. The more self-aware you are in your interactions with it the better you can see answers to what you need to do to overcome when things are deteriorating. The key will be to absorb the shock factor when it does hit you because it can knock you down and the natural reaction is to just want to lay down and roll over. Find your reasons to be able to withstand those difficult moments to better position yourself.
When you do have that positive momentum make sure to seize the moment, not getting too big headed that everything is going to work out in your favor but striking while the iron is hot. Understand that momentum can change quickly so make sure to focus on the right things so you can remain balanced and not get too far in any one direction. You create momentum in your life by your behaviors and actions, it is the execution piece needed to facilitate change for the better.
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