How To Make Momentum Your New Mindset
I was sitting on a long haul flight from London to Chicago and despite having a flying phobia, I began to write this article as a momentary distraction from the heavy turbulence.
It took me to a point of reflection on the subject of momentum. Using the aircraft metaphor would make sense as this is currently where I was sitting (seat belted as the signs requested). I visualised an aircraft attempting to accumulate enough power to catapult itself into the skies.
As the aircraft begins to move, it slowly gathers engine power and speed. As this increases, the accumulation of power allows for one of the greatest man made miracles to launch itself into the sky.
Imagine if the aircraft gathers speed and then it stops, or even worse reduces speed to such a stage that there is not enough power to elevate it into the sky.
This holds a similar example to dreams, desires and ideas you might have. Although these might seem great at the time, there is a disconnect from idea to execution.
I don't necessarily mean speedily rushing into your ideal venture blindly whilst hitting all cylinders.
I'm speaking about momentum gathered from conscious deployment of actions builds up over time. A gathering up of habits and behaviours that take you from where you are to where you want to be.
In order to create momentum you need an intention and a purpose that is bigger than yourself. You need a feeling of devotion and desire to create a greater path and in this way step out of your default reality. You need to want it really badly.
So how much do you want this?
How much do you want to finally launch what you desire? You see the aircraft doesn't have a thinking mechanism which would halt it in its tracks.
But you do.
When in conversation with my coaching clients, they trail off speaking about all the things they desire and what their vision is for success
They go silent however when I ask them;
What are you willing to do to create what you want?
Because essentially if you want to create something different, you have to do something different. Doing what you've been doing for the past 40 years is going to do one thing and one thing only.
Give you the same result.
This is when my clients get stuck. They're often not willing to do things differently, to push past fears or insecurities to get what they want. There's a desire to continue to do the same, yet await a different result.
It's important to realise that transporting yourself into a different domain and pushing past your comfort zone brings with it fear and anxiety, but you might believe that this is a clear signal that you shouldn't be pushing ahead.
Not the case.
It's simply your body waking you up to the fact that you've reached a point in your existence which feels strange, uncomfortable and unknown. Like wearing a different type of outfit or fancy dress. It's unsettling and feels a little strange and unlike you.
The only way the body knows how to react or interpret this is to send a red warning light to stop. There must be something wrong and you must stay exactly where you are. It's too uncomfortable.
I call it a thinking paralysis
Unless you're held at gunpoint or in a seriously dangerous situation, there is no reason not to proceed. I imagine you have an accumulation of thinking that is overwhelming and covers up the essence of who you are, and more importantly, who you could be. Therefore the thinking paralyses you.
The way to negotiate this is to slow down and ask yourself;
How have these thoughts served me so far?
You see, thoughts have a great reputation for paralysing and keeping you within your comfort zone. This prevents you gathering or increasing momentum. You might gather some, but the moment you need to to step into uncomfortable territory those voices come with a vengeance.
Thoughts are there to keep you entrenched in your story, but never create a new one.
There is a moment in life where you have to take stock and commit to either being in the game or step out gracefully. Being in the game is going to bring about these moments, you can't shy away from them or cower in the corner.
It's about stepping out of that corner and into the limelight, step by step.
This is how momentum builds, taking coherent (and at times fearful) action in the same direction for a period of time. At times this might include making some tough decisions which might be daunting, but in order to gather momentum, you need to push your mindset into areas you might never have gone to previously.
Life is often about pushing past what's uncomfortable, yet in your gut it feels like the right thing to do.You will recognise that feeling, because it's a deep sense of knowing. Albeit not devoid of fear, but the fear and paralysis is just alerting you to one thing, and one thing only.
You're in unknown territory, that's all.
Don't shy away from or be scared of the thinking when it comes, just thank it for letting you know that you're in unexplored and unknown territory. At times you might need extra support to build more knowledge in a particular area. This is part of the momentum.
It doesn't mean you need to stop.
As I continue to sit on the plane as the turbulence subsides, I remind myself that although my thinking is on overdrive during turbulence, it's simply my thinking creating my feelings of anxiety and the way I perceive my experience. Therefore, I'm willing to get deeply uncomfortable in order to travel as this creates new professional opportunities for me, and this is part of my momentum.
I will continue to do that which scares me, and so should you.
It's at the edge of reason when you begin to create something different, and this brings about a sense of aliveness and vibrancy which just can't be felt when immersed in a controlled existence. It's whilst gathering momentum in the midst of freeing yourself from old thinking, that you discover new things about yourself you didn't even know existed. A revelation like the unveiling of a prized painting in an art gallery.
Today, ask yourself, which thoughts are preventing you from creating consistent momentum?