Regaining Your Momentum

Do you lose momentum due to overthinking?

Did you ever hit a wall in your progress and wonder why?

Have you ever run out of steam while trying to reach a specific goal?

Take a few minutes to think about a time where you were getting stuff done, kicking ass and taking names and then, all of a sudden, it was as if you became stuck in quicksand.

This quote by Tom Watson was something that I needed to take a step back and realize because I recently experienced a major loss of momentum in what I was working on over the past few weeks, which left me stranded trying to figure out what happened.

I had been working diligently on a few different projects, making progress each day, when out of nowhere everything seemed to stop. My momentum appeared to have closed up shop and went on an impromptu vacation.

At the time, I had no idea what happened. I could not seem to pinpoint what it was that had caused me to hit such resistance.

Remember when you were a kid, swimming in your friend’s pool?

Everyone would start running around the edge in the same direction creating a massive whirlpool. After you built up enough force you would let it just carry you around effortlessly. Occasionally, you would try to go against it but the current was too strong so you just let it take you away again.

For a while, I was riding that current of momentum and now I felt like I was trying to go against it unintentionally.

That resistance manifested from hours, to days, then into weeks, and had me really questioning what the cause truly was.

I had to pull away from the situation a bit and look at it from a bird’s eye view. Changing the perspective allowed a more appreciative approach rather than a frustrated one.

When magnified in to something for so long, you lose sight of the big picture. When that resistance hits and momentum drops fast, you are not able to see what is causing the hold up.

I needed to step away for a little bit to rest and then reassess. Also, I realized I was spending too much time thinking about the steps far in the distance instead of working on the things that were right in front of me.

I was overthinking steps x, y, and z, instead of finishing a, b, and c which kept me at stand still.

Allowing a rest and reassess period cleared the clutter from my mind providing that fresh outlook I needed to acknowledge how much I’ve already accomplished, see what I can work on in the present moment, while still envisioning the end game result.

Sometimes when you are moving toward something at a steady, consistent pace, so focused on getting to that finish line, when that roadblock appears which has your wheels spinning in place, take that as a sign to take a break. Use that time to clear your thoughts, rest, and reassess.

You will come back rejuvenated and read to build up that momentum again.

Now it’s your turn.

How does this quote inspire you?

Tell me about an experience where you were smooth sailing toward your goals, the wind suddenly died down, and your forward momentum was lost. What caused it? Was it due to overthinking? Were you able to regain that momentum?

Contact me or share your thoughts below in the Comments section.

Let’s get the discussion going.

Remember, you are not alone on this journey. Together we can become stronger individuals.