Momentum. It’s not just for physics class. Momentum is essential t to moving forward. It’s essential to change – and essential to recovery. And essential to reach your goals.
Momentum takes a little thing and turns it into a big thing. It takes a tiny step forward, keeps it moving and transforms it into a journey. It makes a destination possible.
Momentum is a valuable tool to have on your side, not matter what type of recovery or challenge you are facing.
Are you ready to harness the power of momentum and use it to help yourself?
Here are your 10 essential steps to harnessing momentum so you can reach your goals:
Step 1
Get a clean sheet of paper.
Actually, scratch that. Get a new, pretty notebook that you like. Make sure it’s something you’ll want to use every day. This is going to be huge.
Step 2
Identify the areas in your life you are ready to make changes in.
Are you recovering from an eating disorder? Or depression? Struggling with over-exercising? Trying to stop binging? Want to improve you self confidence?
Make a section for each issue you are going to address. Be specific. Make a goal and write it in your notebook.
For example: “I am going to recover from anorexia. I am no longer going to restrict food.”
Step 3
Think of one, that’s right, just ONE small step you can take in each category that sets you on the path to where you want to be. One step that brings you closer to the YOU that you envision.
Maybe your goal is to be more sociable and meet more new people. Your small step might be to talk to one new person each day.
Write this down in your notebook and remind yourself of it everyday.
Step 4
Follow through. Carry out that step you decided to take.
Do it 100%. Commit. Don’t compromise.
Even when the step you decided to commit to seems hard – do it anyway.
That might mean you purposefully start a conversation with the checker at the grocery store even though you don’t feel like talking and it feels uncomfortable.
Step 5
Repeat. This is where momentum starts to kick in.
I bet your thinking of how hard yesterday was, following through on that new step and conquering some fears.
But you can’t stop now.
You need to repeat this step again and again until it’s not so scary and challenging.
Step 6
Ok, so it’s been a week. You’ve got the hang of this step.
You aren’t crippled every morning worrying what new person you’ll find to talk to. Now you add in a new step. Challenge yourself a bit more.
Maybe talking to one new person a day has become more of a habit. Now, maybe you’ll decide to talk to two strangers each day and sign up for a group art class that meets once a week. Whatever your next challenge step is, write it down in your notebook to make it concrete.
Step 7
This is momentum.
Now you’re making two steps daily to bring you closer to your goal, whatever that goal is.
The magic of it is, now that you’ve added in the second challenge, I bet the first doesn’t seem so bad anymore, does it?
Step 8
Repeat, repeat, repeat.
Remember that notebook we’ve been talking about? Keep it with you.
Remind yourself every day which challenges you are conquering.
Don’t let your first success fall to the wayside now that you’ve added another.
Carry on repeating the two steps you’ve made until it starts to become comfortable to you. Keep fighting and don’t become complacent.
Step 9
Now that you’re able to carry out your second step with only minor anxiety. You’re building confidence and are getting closer to your goal. Two steps closer in fact!
But now it’s time to think about your next step.
What is something else that is holding you back?
As you progress you’ll notice you are taking on larger and scarier steps. This is momentum.
As you gain confidence and get comfortable taking steps towards your goal, you are better able to conquer challenges and make changes.
You never stop moving forward!
So now, you write down your third challenge in your notebook – making sure to keep incorporating your other two challenges.
Step 10
The ball is rolling. You have momentum on your side. You’re choosing to fight daily and taking on larger and larger challenges that propel forward so you can reach your goals.
Every time one of the steps you’ve taken becomes routine and becomes less daunting – you’ve won!
As you take on challenges your momentum grows, it becomes harder and harder to stop you. Just choosing to continue taking small step pushes you forward to larger and larger steps that will help you reach to your goal.
Keep conquering, warrior. You can reach your goals.
I really hope that you can harness momentum and use it to help you achieve whatever goals you have. Getting into the rhythm of conquering challenges and facing your fears repeatedly really will push you forward.
Every small success sets you up for future successes and makes you more resistant to setbacks or failure. Keep conquering steps. They may seem small, they may start off small, but they all count and they unite to make you unstoppable.
So, what goal are you working towards? What will be the first small step you take to reach your goals? Tell us in the comments below!
