Tired of Feeling Like You Can Never Keep Any Momentum In Life? Try This.

Momentum is critical to success in life.

Have you ever tried to get back in the gym after months of not going to the gym? It’s like your unconscious mind looks for anything, I mean anything, to create an excuse not to show up.

The same dilemma applies to any good and useful habit we attempt to form or bring back into our lives.

Resistance will appear around every corner, just waiting to seek its teeth into our plans. Relentless. You can almost count on it showing up before it arrives.

Combatting this enemy is the difference between living our life as we know it vs. living a life with intention.

I recently read about a strategy I’ve been using in January, even amidst a chaotic, routine disrupting January. It’s a strategy that you can use for anything in life: diet, fitness, writing, reading, etc. The whole strategy is designed to sustain your momentum.

No ‘Zero’ Days

I first read about this strategy from Solopreneur guru Justin Welsh, who defines it as, “every single day, you become slightly better at something than you were the day before.”

This strategy is so simple you have to go out of your way not to use it.

Here's how step by step:

Step 1: Do something every day

I’m convinced more and more every day that ‘brilliance’ is a fancy word for consistency.

The story goes that legendary comedian Jerry Seinfeld once told a young comedian that the key to keeping momentum in comedy was writing one joke daily. He even suggested hanging up a calendar and marking each day with a red pen. Keep the momentum.

Tiny things compound over time.

As the author of The Compound Effect, Darren Hardy, wrote, “The magic is doing the simple things repeatedly and long enough to ignite the miracle of the Compound Effect.”

Nothing will give you a better chance to be successful at anything, more than creating daily momentum. Not better strategies, not better marketing, not more busy work.

Focus on keeping your momentum and let the compound effect unfold by doing something toward your goal daily.

Step 2: Make it simple

Don't overcomplicate progress.

It could be as simple as reading one page, listening to 5 minutes of a podcast, complimenting someone you love, or journaling one sentence. Whatever the habit you’re trying to change is, don’t let yourself overcomplicate it. As we all need to be reminded from time to time, Rome wasn’t built overnight.

Keeping it simple will keep momentum and consistency on your side, motivating you not to allow the chain to break.

Step 3: Increase your luck

There's a success term, "The Surface Area of Luck," which is the idea that the more action you take toward something, the more likely you are to experience successful results.

A phrase was termed in baseball in the early 2000s, “Moneyball.” It references a team-building style that Oakland Athletics General Manager used to consistently build good teams with very little payroll.

His strategy: find the players nobody wants who carry high on-base percentages. Everyone wants the guys who hit HRs. But what about all these guys who get on base, increasing your odds of scoring runs?

You can apply the same things to your goals in life. Focus on getting on base each day.

When you show up daily and take action (even small), you are stacking the odds in your favor to produce success in the future.

If you want more success in 2023 (and beyond), start applying the no 'zero' days framework to any goal.

Here’s an example of writing:

• Write for 60 minutes daily to grow as a writer

• Read 30 minutes daily to gain ideas to write about

• Spend 5 minutes each day reflecting on lessons of the day

But let's take it a step further, for when life gets in the way, and you don't want to break the chain:

• Write for 10 focused minutes

• Read one page

• Journal one sentence about something you learned that day

You can apply this to any goal you pursue in life.

Let’s say you set a goal to work out five days a week for 30 minutes in 2023, read a book a month, or start watching calories, but it’s been a rough start. Try the ‘zero’ strategy to get back on track and build momentum:

Make it simple formula (to keep momentum):

• Walk for 10 minutes or do 10 push-ups.

• Read one page.

• Have one healthy meal each day.

One of the biggest mistakes we make in our goals is our attempt to be perfect or all-or-nothing-mentality. Nothing could be more detrimental to our goals and, quite frankly, progress in life.

Stop seeking perfection.

Seek progress.

Ok, that's it.

I hope this helps you as much as it helped me.

Have a great week!

— Chase

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