Momentum

 

Sometimes we can get stuck because we aren’t already doing something. It is hard to start things. If something is new, it is difficult to start it and even more difficult to be doing it regularly right away.

I’ve talked about not being afraid to start something. I’ve talked about not being afraid to be bad at something. Anything you do for the first time, you will not be an expert. Period. That’s just how it works.

But something else that can keep us from taking that first step, or trying to take another step after we’ve been off for a while.

It’s momentum.

We’ve heard the law of physics: an object in motion stays in motion. That is literally true. It can also help us get going. More importantly, it can help us not beat ourselves up about it.

You can tell yourself that you want to be doing something. It can be any habit. More water, less screen time, more movement. Whatever it is, there is our desired place and there is where we are now. Even if that gap is small, it can sometimes feel impossible to close it.

Why? Because when we are stopped, it is hard to get going again. We tell ourselves we “should”, we “have to”, but “we’re not”. If the I’m not is in focus, it is difficult to get going.

If the “should”, and “have to” and the “not” are the focus, it will always be difficult to get going.

And the more we do that, the harder it gets, because momentum works both ways. In motion stays in motion? Yes, but at rest stays at rest too.

Sometimes you just have to take the first step. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It doesn’t have to be all the steps at once. If you haven’t run in forever don’t sign up for a marathon this weekend and expect to win it, or even finish it without seriously injuring yourself. But just because you aren’t going to run a marathon this weekend, doesn’t mean you can’t go for a run around the block. Or walk around the block. It’s ok. I’m not running a marathon this weekend either. But by taking a small step, you can get some momentum. And by the end of the week, if you’ve taken a few small steps, done a few small things. Looking back on a week that you took even a single step, you will feel better about the week.

Momentum.

Do the smallest possible thing. That will feel better than beating yourself up about not going the biggest possible thing. None of us is doing the biggest possible thing over night. The difference between the people doing and the people not doing it, is that the people doing it have momentum. They’ve been taking the small steps. They’ve made the small steps part of their day-to-day routine, and now it’s just part of the day. Over time when you take enough small steps, you will get really far. And that’s it. Momentum. Take a small step today. If not today, take a small step tomorrow. I’ll see you out there.