How to Build Momentum for Dummies
Recently, I went into my backlog of YouTube videos and saw a discussion that I had with my buddy, Matt Stephens.
The discussion was about:
- What do a public speaker and a bodybuilder have in common?
The answer was:
- Discipline
For both of our respective fields, discipline is a must.
As I was listening to the episode, there was one part I decided to clip up and post as a new video.
This clip was about micro goals.
It’s much better to set micro goals than do nothing.
Make that dollar.
Get the first client.
Deliver your first-ever speech.
With micro-goals, you get motion.
The micro goals weren’t the most important part of the clip though.
The most important part of the clip was Matt’s final line:
‘The only thing that leads to momentum is the next step.’
What Kind of Mindset Do You Have?
In my book, Speak Easy, I talk about 2 different mindsets out there:
- The mountain-top mindset vs the everlasting road mindset.
Most people have a mountain-top mindset.
This is when they are climbing from the ground to the top of the mountain.
Once they reach the top of the mountain, they scream:
‘I made it!!’
They don’t realize they still need to go down this mountain.
Going down becomes tough because leading up to their climb, they had the attitude that reaching the peak was “enough.”
While the everlasting road is a road that we walk forever.
One step after another.
Sometimes, a stride will be big.
Other times, it will be a tiny step.
And other times, we will try to step, accidentally slip, regain balance, and try to play it off like we were running.
We are taking a variety of steps on this path for life.
With the mountain-top mindset, it’s hard to build momentum.
With the everlasting road mindset, momentum just happens.
What Are You Working On?
There’s a path for everyone nowadays.
You go to 10 different people and ask them how to get rich, they will give you 10 unique answers.
The good news is that all 10 answers are right.
The bad news is that just because the answers are right does not mean they are right for YOU.
Self-awareness is crucial when trying to build momentum.
Because if you are going to keep taking micro steps toward a direction, it’s smart to ask if the direction is facing the right way.
This is why I believe getting lost is high ROI.
I’m not the biggest fan of mentors.
Because mentors tell you what to do and what not to do.
They are trying to save you time.
However, to assess if you are going in the right direction on a being level, you shouldn’t be trying to save time.
You should be trying to spend time.
I think it’s good to do something for a while and be like:
‘This is not for me.’
Then you do another thing and say:
‘This isn’t for me either.’
Then you do another thing and have the same sad reaction.
The process repeats.
I’m not saying that you’re quitting fast.
Instead, you do these activities well.
Despite doing it well, something in the heart is not feeling it.
Dissatisfaction gets a bad rep.
I view dissatisfaction as one of the best emotions out there.
It’s raw desire seeking expression.
When you are doing a bunch of activities that make you dissatisfied, it’s your body alerting you:
‘You’re not quite there yet, keep trying.’
We are spending time…
And due to spending time, we will feel joy when the direction presents itself.
Finding What is Right for You
During our discussion, Matt talked about how he got into bodybuilding.
You don’t play around with bodybuilding, you do it.
It engulfs your life.
What led him to that decision?
For him…it was pain.
He had to take a lot of wrong turns, put faith in the wrong acts, and do work that didn’t make him feel alive.
Each wrong turn subtly nudged him in the right direction.
After enough nudges in the right direction, he discovered bodybuilding and fell in love with it.
My journey with public speaking was similar.
I recall wanting to do a boot camp to improve my communication skills.
There were different options:
- Cold calling, door-to-door sales, pick-up artistry, etc.
I could do those.
Heck, I did do those.
I recall a lot of mall trips with Pratik and Asif asking random girls for their numbers.
However, those activities weren’t my thing.
I wanted another way to improve my communication skills.
When I discovered Toastmasters, initially, I felt like it wasn’t for me.
It’s because I bombed my first speech.
But after I gave a few speeches, I felt alive.
The wrong turns were worth it.
I found my road.
Visualize Your Consistency
Showing up every day is better than going all out every now and then.
One of the hardest parts of building momentum is finding what you want to build momentum on.
Once you find it, it’s all about the daily steps.
With public speaking, I’m always doing something related to the field.
Reading, writing, recording talks on YouTube, etc.
To visualize your consistency, try the Seinfeld chain strategy.
Get a big calendar with all the months on it.
Every day you do something for your activity, mark a big X on the day.
Keep stacking the big X’s until you see a link form.
This is you building momentum for your activity.
Tiny steps turn into colossal steps.
Therefore, consistency is key.
Recap:
- To build momentum, adopt the everlasting road mindset rather than the mountain-top mindset.
- Get lost and see what doesn’t make you feel alive.
- Once you find what makes you feel alive, take daily steps forward.
Remember this, my friend…
The only thing that leads to momentum is the next step.
