One of the most difficult parts of goal achievement is simply getting started. It’s easy enough to dream and plan, but many people get stuck in this phase indefinitely and avoid taking action. Planning and dreaming might make you feel like you’re doing something about your goals, but if you never actually take a step forward you’ll never achieve them. In order to see measurable progress, you have to step out of your comfort zones and take action.
When you finally do gather your courage and begin moving forward, what usually happens? You realize it’s WAY harder than you thought it would be, right? It feels like you’re trying to run uphill. You keep tripping over obstacles, facing setbacks and delays, dealing with fear and anxiety, and fighting a daily battle to stay motivated.
It’s during this difficult phase that most people give up. They decide that “it isn’t meant to be” right now, so they set their dream aside and vow to try again later. Or worse, they resign themselves to a mediocre life because they don’t believe they have what it takes to succeed. They’ve “failed,” so they’re not going to try any more.
Have you done this? Most people have!
However, this doesn’t have to be the end of the story. You can pick up your dreams, dust them off and try again. But this time you should know about a little something called Momentum.
You see, the difficult phase I just described is what happens at the beginning when you’re trying to gain momentum. Most people quit during this phase because they think it’s ALWAYS going to be this hard. What they don’t realize is that every effort they put toward the achievement of their goals will build on the previous efforts. With every step forward the process gets easier and easier. Finally, they’ve put so much energy and effort into the process that momentum begins to take over. Suddenly they realize that they don’t have to push so hard to keep moving forward. It becomes fun . . . even easy to achieve their goal.
This same experience can be yours! All you have to do is keep moving forward. Keep working toward your dreams and never quit. Momentum WILL take over eventually!
If you want to get momentum working even more quickly for you there are a few ways to do it, but they can be summed up in one sentence:
Be willing to work harder, faster and take bigger risks than you have in the past.
The reason why momentum can be delayed sometimes is because many people take very tentative steps toward their goals. They’re afraid to really give it their all, so they hold back much of the energy and power they could be devoting toward their goal. Even if they’re not aware of it, they may feel more comfortable working at a slower pace, so they avoid taking big risks and instead take baby steps.
There’s not a thing wrong with this approach if it suits you! However, if you want to make faster progress and build momentum quickly, think about taking bigger steps and giving your full energy and focus toward making it happen. By doing so, you’ll push through the difficult beginning and find yourself coasting before you know it.