6 Tips for Building Momentum & Achieving Your Goals

by Stephanie Kewin

We all know at least one of those incredibl positive! on"the"go people with seemingl boundless motivation and consistenc # These people make balancing the chaos of work! fitness! health! kids! marriage! and an thing else life throws their wa look almost eas # And so! unless ou$re one of these luck few who$ve alread got it figured out! ou$ve probabl wondered! %How do the do it&$ Truth is! the $ve got a secret weapon working for them! and the ma not even know about it# The best thing about this weapon is that it can be ours too# 't$s certainl nothing new or groundbreaking( it$s )ust a little something called Momentum.

*ow Momentum Works Think about hopping on a recumbent bike at your gym. Initially when you get on, its tough to get the wheels spinning; you have to expend a little energy and work against some resistance. ut once you push past those !irst !ew seconds its a bree"e, and soon your legs are spinning away using up way less energy than it took to get started. Thats how momentum works, plain and simple. Those men and women you envy who seem to have that indescribable ease and consistency actually #ust have momentum working !or them$ Sure, getting started can be tough; but once you do, even the smallest successes can build upon one another, creating an eventual tidal wave o! momentum pushing you onward and upward. So, how do you start building your own momentum% &ere are some pointers to get the ball rolling, and keep it rolling, and rolling, and'

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+ 's the Magic ,umber

(ust reading, watching, or listening to motivational material )like this article$* plants the seeds !or momentum to grow. een dying to get nice and lean !or beach season but !eeling overwhelmed and unsure o! how or where to start% Take the advice o! renowned author and speaker (ason +ried in his groundbreaking new book Rework: ,ake small, attainable to-do lists. +or instance, I like to write down three key starter actions that are .uickly and easily attainable. / long to-do list is daunting and impractical )and Ive !ound it can o!ten make that paralytic state o! inaction even worse* but when you break down those long lists into small lists o! 0s, getting started is much less overwhelming. In !act, youll !eel excited about being able to meet attainable goals, and I bet your new!ound momentum will push you on to your next list o! 0s in no time$

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.icture .erfect /esults

I! you want something, visuali"e it. I! you cant already see it in your minds eye, how can you really and truly go a!ter what you want% &elp create a per!ect mental picture o! you attaining your goals by creating a collage using visual cues cut out !rom old maga"ines or newspapers. 1hatever the goal, whether you want to tone up your tummy or start training !or a marathon, create a collage using some key visual triggers )great abs, a !it runner, or even some key words about your goal that trigger an emotional response*$ 2ut that creative collage up somewhere where youll see it every day. 3ook at these visual cues and really absorb them; take mere seconds out o! your day )in the morning be!ore you get out o! bed, or be!ore you go to sleep at night*, close your eyes, and really picture yoursel! achieving what you want. (ust like they urge in The Secret, try to produce the emotions that youll !eel when you !inally achieve your goals and think about how youll reward yoursel! a!terwards. Ive taken this advice to heart many times and I can attest to how much it works$ 4isuali"ing can help you make your dreams a reality 5 !irst in your minds eye, and then in your real li!e.

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't$s 12 to .la Mind Games

This may sound ridiculous but trust me, its not. &eres the deal6 you get home exhausted !rom a hectic day but !eel obligated to get out !or a #og even though its the last thing you can imagine yoursel! doing 07 minutes !rom now. This is where the mind games come in' +irst, give yoursel! a break. I! youre really that tired, #ust lace up your shoes and plan !or a relaxing 8unwind-!rom-the-day9 walk. Its better than nothing$ /!ter a !ew minutes o! walking, youll start to !eel warm and maybe even a tiny spark o! something that resembles energy. :kay, so step it up by doing a slow #og )#og !or 07 seconds then walk !or a minute*. +eel good% I bet, so do another one' and so on. :!tentimes playing mind games like this with yoursel! will turn a slow, relaxing walk into an all-out #og or even an interval run. Its your age-old 8under promise;over deliver9 strategy 5 and, no o!!ense, but youll !all !or it almost every time$ /nd hey, i! youre truly exhausted at least you got out !or a walk. Its a win-win situation.

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/ide the Wave of Momentum

:nce youve gained a little momentum, you can let it work for you$ ut although momentum is a power!ul entity in itsel!, you still have to hold up your end o! the bargain by being consistent. e a turtle; slow and steady wins the race. <lich= as it is, the old adage holds true when it comes to momentum. 1e all know the story !rom when we were kids6 whereas the careless, ambivalent hare stops and starts over and over, constantly losing momentum and making it harder each time to start up again, the turtle steadily keeps on keeping on, slowly but surely gaining and maintaining momentum' and we all know how that race ends.

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To Be Active or 'nactive4 That 's the 5uestion

Think about this6 the momentum o! inaction is #ust as power!ul as the momentum o! action. / couch potato creates a negative pattern by repeatedly getting home !rom work, heading !or the couch and staying glued to it all night. This perpetual inaction causes momentum 5 but its a downward, negative spiral. So pursue a positive momentum by continually setting your short-term, daily goals )remember the rule o! 0$*; in other words, keep challenging yoursel!. eing driven and consistent every single day takes work 5 hey, li!e happens 5 but to keep that power!ul water!all o! momentum !rom slowing down, and then trickling out, you have to practice discipline. >ou have to stay active in your pursuit o! momentum. So once in a while, especially on those inevitable tough days, you may have to suck it up and just do it. esides, the tough days are when character is built.

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7ive Without 89cuses

ottom line6 there are always excuses. There will always be too little time, too many commitments, too many people pulling you in too many directions' ?et real with yoursel!. I! you let these excuses get in your way, /* youll never even get started and * youll de!initely never build momentum. 2rioriti"e the goals that are really important to you, and stick with them 5 excuse-!ree. Its really very simple6 the people who abolish excuses in their lives have the most momentum and, inevitably, the most success.

:o! which kind of person do ou want to be ; the energetic! motivated person others look at with admiration! or the one who gets stuck in a rut fighting inaction and ultimatel a static state& ,ow that ou have some tools to make momentum our own secret weapon! ' think ou$ll choose the former# :TA/T building our own momentum toda ! and en)o riding the wave<