#11 - How to Create, Build and Sustain Momentum

I believe momentum to be the most powerful force in the universe. The image that pops to mind is the Hogwarts Express from Harry Potter (Figure 2). When the train is stagnant, it takes an enormous amount of effort to get it going, but once it picks up speed and gains momentum, watch out!

I'm convinced that's how success works, too. Even my writing of this blog is an example of how powerful momentum is. The first two blogs took me months to complete, and now I'm finally in a place where I can consistently publish one every other week. In fact, when I look at the publication dates, I realize now that it's taken me nearly four months to write one and two, and then only four months to write an additional eight. That's wild.

Why, though? Why would it take me the same amount of time to write the first two as it did eight more? Is it because the first two were of higher quality? Is it because I'm less busy now than I used to be? Is it because I want to write more now than I used to? Not necessarily. The answer, instead, is the power of momentum.

The Gaining Momentum Cycle

First, let's discuss the Gaining Momentum Cycle. This is the cycle we all crave and envy. Think of a time when you felt like everything was happening for you, and everything was flowing beautifully. Maybe it was in academics, sports, your social life, or at a new job you loved.

Think of an actor, actress, or singer who finally hits it big, and it seems like they're unstoppable. Think of a couple who meets, falls in love, gets married, and starts a family. Think of that amazing transformation photo of that overweight friend who lost 50 lbs and runs marathons now.

Often, these circumstances seem like they come out of nowhere. It may appear that way from the outside, but behind the scenes, it was actually just the magic of momentum. Along the way, building momentum is often so boring, arduous, and subtle that you don't even notice it. Then, all of a sudden, boom! You break into momentum, and seemingly impossible results start to appear seemingly out of nowhere.

How It Works

So, how does this work? To explain, let me first describe how I run my coaching sessions. Each session is broken down into three main parts. The first part is for inquiry and observation. That's where I ask questions and observe what's really going on beneath the surface. The second part is called identify and rectify. This is where we work together to identify the root cause of your struggles and create a simple solution that's easy to implement. Lastly, the third part is called gameplan and homework, which is where I make sure you're fully set up for success and equipped until our next call.

Having completed over 4,500 coaching sessions, I now realize that what I'm really doing is helping my clients create, build, and sustain momentum toward their most important goals and dreams. Put another way, my job is to keep you in the Gaining Momentum Cycle and out of the Losing Momentum Cycle in the areas you value most.

If you refer to Figure 1 above, you'll see that the Gaining Momentum Cycle and the Losing Momentum Cycle each have three main parts. First, let's start with the Gaining Momentum Cycle.

The Gaining Momentum Cycle

1. More Belief

2. More Investment

3. More Growth

As an example, let's imagine you want to be a YouTuber. In order to take action, you need to believe in it first. Unfortunately, this is where most people get stuck. They just don't believe in themselves, the process, or the end result enough to get started. In fact, sometimes, even when they do have belief, they're afraid the time, effort, money, and potential criticism won't be worth it.

This is why starting small is so important. If the endeavor is too far outside of your comfort zone, you're just not going to believe it's possible. That's why the first step is to either shrink the first step, find someone who believes in you, or both.

Okay, now let's imagine you shrunk the first step and found a mentor who believes in you. Now that you've got enough belief, you're more likely to invest the time and effort necessary to create your first YouTube video. Once you've created and published it, now your channel is more likely to grow. Once your channel grows, now you're more likely to believe in it and invest in it even more. This is where momentum starts to take root.

A friend of mine named Eddie Pinero started a YouTube channel called, "Your World Within" many years ago. Eddie ran the Gaining Momentum Cycle so beautifully, even though he wasn't necessarily conscious of it at the time.

In fact, I still listen to his very first YouTube video every morning. It's called, "Ode to Excellence", and it's part of my Morning Mindset Workout that gets me fired up to start my day. I've been listening every day for nearly eight years now, and we still joke that he owes thousands of his views to me.

That said, Eddie's a very successful YouTuber, Speaker, and Entrepreneur now, but like all of us, he didn't start out that way. A few years ago, Eddie hired me as his Business Coach, and I remember talking to him about how powerful the momentum he's built on YouTube is. His consistency over time has been nothing short of world-class, and I'm so proud of him for having such a positive impact on so many people's lives, including mine.

The Losing Momentum Cycle

Okay, I know the Gaining Momentum Cycle seems simple and too good to be true, so what's the catch? If all of Eddie's incredible success and impact started with just one simple YouTube video, then why doesn't everyone succeed at that level? Unfortunately, this is where the Losing Momentum Cycle comes in...

The Gaining Momentum Cycle is super simple to start, but unfortunately, it's unreasonably difficult to sustain. Why? Because the Losing Momentum Cycle is so easy to slip back into. Instead of seeing Eddie as a huge success, let's imagine he ended up slipping into the Losing Momentum Cycle instead.

Let's play a little game called, "What If". In other words, what if, instead of creating and publishing more than eight hundred videos, he stopped at ten? What if, instead of his first video doing really well, it tanked? And what if, after the first nine videos, he still had zero traction?

Would he still believe in this YouTube thing, or would he believe just a little less? And what if that led him to invest just a little less? Instead of working harder to make each video better, what if he decided to invest just a little less time and effort? Why not, right? It's not like the videos were doing well anyway... And what if all that led to even fewer views, which led to even less belief?

See how easily we can slip into this dangerous downward spiral? It's so common, and we all fall victim to it sometimes, even if it's only for a short time. For example, perhaps you've started a fitness journey that just didn't last, or you had a relationship you were certain was right for you, but you broke up. Or maybe you started a business, a podcast, or a blog that you just never stuck with...

This is nothing to be ashamed of, as we've all been there. That's not the point. The point is, however, to be aware of it from now on. This way, we can protect ourselves from unintentionally slipping into the Losing Momentum Cycle.

The Losing Momentum Cycle

1. Less Belief

2. Less Investment

3. Less Growth

Fortunately, that second scenario isn't what happened to Eddie. I know personally that whenever a video didn't do well, instead of allowing himself to believe in himself or his channel less, he actually did the opposite. Instead, he went back to the drawing board to figure out why that video didn't do well. Then he used that new awareness to make the next video even better. In fact, that's a lot of what we did coaching together. We worked hard every session to figure out what was working, what wasn't, and we improved from there.

That said, it's important to note that anyone can do this. We can all protect ourselves from slipping out of the Gaining Momentum Cycle and into the Losing Momentum Cycle. We just have to recognize when it's happening and take corrective action before it's too late.

Alan's 4 Cardinal Rules for Success

As mentioned earlier, my coaching is intensely focused on keeping my clients in the Gaining Momentum Cycle and out of the Losing Momentum Cycle. As I've said many times, I'd rather have it look like you're losing with an upward trajectory than appear like you're winning with a downward one.

That said, this is why I'd like to share my 4 Cardinal Rules for Success with you. I deploy these with all of my clients, and it's helped them achieve so many of their wildest goals and dreams. In fact, I say these four rules so often, that they're likely sick of hearing them.

Rule 1 - Stop the Wrong Trains

This is by far the most important rule. Why? Because stopping the wrong trains will free up the necessary time and effort to invest more into the right ones. One powerful example is my quitting alcohol. I had a drinking problem, and stopping that train has transformed my life in so many positive ways.

For you, in terms of persons, places, things, and ideas, what's one wrong train that's no longer serving you?

Rule 2 - Start the Right Trains

Once you've stopped the wrong trains, now it's time to double down on the right ones. One powerful example is this blog. My intention is to publish a new blog every two weeks from now on. Each will be a simple but powerful mental concept designed to help others maximize their own unique potential and achieve their goals and dreams.

For you, in terms of persons, places, things, and ideas, what's one right train that you're going to double down on?

Rule 3 - Improve the Right Trains

Once you've stopped the wrong trains and started the right ones, now it's time to focus on improvement. Imagine someone going to the gym who never gets stronger or a speaker who never learns to communicate more effectively. More reps for the sake of more reps isn't going to substantially increase your level of success and impact. What will, however, is getting better consistently over time.

For you, based on the trains you've chosen to invest in, what's one important skill you're going to focus on improving?

Rule 4 - Never Ever Lose Momentum

Rule 4 is to never lose momentum. I added the "ever" to be playful and emphasize the importance of this rule. Never losing momentum, as described above in the hypothetical Eddie scenario, is not easy. This is where humility needs to stay rock solid throughout your growth journey. Remember, nothing fails like success. In other words, when we start to get successful and gain momentum, it's so easy to get arrogant and unknowingly slip into the Losing Momentum Cycle. The key is to identify and rectify this as soon as possible.

For you, in terms of persons, places, things, and ideas, what's one right train you've started to unintentionally lose momentum in?

Wrap Up

To wrap up, I just want to encourage you to reflect on your life through the lens of momentum. Similar to when a child finds out Santa Claus isn't real, once your awareness is heightened, your consciousness never fully returns back to its original state.

You're changed now, and that's a good thing. You'll see momentum, and a lack of it, all around you from now on. Stay hyperconscious of who has it and who doesn't. Stay aware of who's building it and who isn't. Just like the Hogwarts Express, every one of us is a train headed toward our dreams. Start studying the world from this frame, and I promise you'll make far more positive and effective decisions because of it.

Are you surrounded by massive locomotives with unstoppable momentum toward their goals and dreams, or are you, like most of us, feeling stuck and surrounded by stagnant trains staying stuck and safe because they're too scared to build real momentum? Now that you're aware, you have a choice. Choose wisely. Choose momentum!

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Dear Reader,

I want to thank you for taking the time to read this. If you've gotten value or have any questions, please email me at alan@nextleveluniverse.com or visit our website, nextleveluniverse.com. If you enjoyed this, I also recommend you check out our podcast, Next Level University, for a daily dose of holistic self-improvement. You can find it on any podcast platform, including YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.

Thanks again, and I hope to hear from you soon!