Momentum: 7 Steps to Overcome Obstacles and Compound Your Efforts to Success

Webster's Dictionary defines momentum as "a strength or force gained by motion or by a series of events."

It's the power that resides in a moving object. The thing is, we've got to get moving!

I'm tired of cold weather, so I won't use the snowball effect as an example. Rather, let's look to the journey from a babbling brook to a powerful waterfall. These mountains are the land of waterfalls, and they have much to teach us.

In order to start or move an object, one has to overcome the frictional force, the obstacles, that act in the direction opposite to the direction of applied force. A stream flows over and around rocks, even wearing them down to smooth stones, until the stream eventually grows larger, leading to breathtaking waterfalls, and ultimately to the serenity and power of the ocean.

This begs the question, what is the force you want to overcome that is keeping you stuck?

The past several months have had me sitting for work much more than I'm used to. With chronic pain, movement is medicine for me. I've done fairly well at getting in 10 minutes of stretching or other movement on most mornings, but my daily walks have suffered greatly due to my perceived time crunch and my disdain for cold weather.

But baby, it's warm outside and I'm on a much-needed walk as I write this.

The friction I'm having to work against is a schedule full of busyness, deadlines, time demands and distractions, let alone to the propensity for an object (or a person - namely me) to stay put unless acted upon.

So, what do we do?

There are 7 steps we can utilize to overcome the obstacles causing the friction that hold us back, allowing our efforts to compound toward success. Let us explore each of these steps to help us move forward in our journey toward intentional growth and wellness.

This was my 7-step process to get the momentum going today:

Step 1 - Get Your Head in the Game: I told myself that I'll be able to think more clearly and work more efficiently if I step away from (insert whatever distraction has your attention at the moment) and get in some movement. That gave me the momentum to:

Step 2 - Take a Small Action Step: I opened the windows. Extra benefit: the sound of birds singing. That gave me the momentum to:

Step 3 - Add an Additional Small Action Step: Breathe in deeply the fresh air, which gave me the momentum to:

Step 4 - Oh Look! Your Momentum has Led You to Another Action Step: Put on my walking shoes, which led to:

Step 5 - Hmmm, I See a Trend of Small Steps Here: Turn on my Google workout tracking and now...

Step 6 - Do the Thing: Now that I'm tracking it, I've got to start walking!

Step 7 - Celebrate Having Done the Thing: Yes! I got outside, got in some light cardio for my heart, and gained some Vitamin D and beautiful nature to boot! Celebrating the victories reinforces the value of having done the thing.

See, that wasn't so hard. The most difficult part is the mind shift. If we can transform our way of thinking from simply accepting the status quo to realizing that small steps can lead to big results, isn't that better than no results at all?

Precious friends, this effect of momentum can apply to any of the goals you're working on. If you're looking to take better care of yourself, it could look like this:

Step 1 - Get Your Head in the Game: Step away from the distractions. Turn off the TV or put down your phone, or walk away from whatever else is distracting you.

Step 2 - Take a Small Action Step: Walk to the bathroom.

Step 3 - Add an Additional Small Action Step: Fill up the tub.

Step 4 - Oh Look! Your Momentum has Led You to Another Action Step: Add in some Epsom salts (lavender is my fav).

Step 5 - Hmmm, I See a Trend of Small Steps Here: Turn on some relaxing music, your favorite podcast, or grab a book.

Step 6 - Do the Thing: Settle in for a relaxing soak.

Step 7 - Celebrate Having Done the Thing: Celebrate that you've done something awesome for yourself!

We tell ourselves we don't have time for these things, but in reality, there's so much time we do have when we prioritize the things that we need to truly be the best and most authentic version of ourselves.

That's not selfish. That's self-care.

Our bodies are a temple of the Spirit that resides within us (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). We are called to nourish and protect our bodies so that we can be and live into what we are called to be in this one precious life.

So, friends, what's that small first step you're going to take to start the compounding effect that momentum can bring to your life?