Maroc - CMONIONLINE.COM - A La Une - 26/Feb 12:31

Success Journey XXI: How To Regain Lost Momentum.

Gaining momentum in the direction you want to go is entirely in your hands. ~LeAura Alderson It’s common to experience momentum loss while pursuing our set goals/objectives. None is exempt from this often unwanted lull phase, stagnation or prolonged hiatus. Various factors can trigger this situation. Sometimes it’s of our making and other times beyond our control. Getting lost in the internet rabbit hole is our choice and making while health issues and urgent problems are often beyond our control. Yet, it could be a combination of both as in my case recently. While in Nigeria last month, I faced unavoidable problems. I spent an entire month and failed to accomplish my major aim. To make matters worse, I had malaria at the end of my stay, which meant I returned to Ireland recovering from the illness. While convalescing, I spent much time indoors devouring mind-numbing information and content that added little or no value. I ate a lot and binge-watched movies and all that. My drive was minimal. I struggled to reconnect with the interests and ideas I usually write about. And ultimately stopped moving in the right direction to achieve my goals. Having experienced this before, I knew what to do but was too immersed in the temporary dopamine rush from social media and movies. Days turned to weeks and I kept consoling myself that I was still in recovery mode. But I knew I couldn’t continue on that path. Time lost can never be regained and time is ALWAYS of essence. Eventually, I summoned the courage to say enough is enough! How did I proceed? I usually begin by setting a reminder to FOCUS! I type in caps with an exclamation mark, and it repeats every hour. For a week, my phone will buzz hourly to remind me to stop scrolling, to ignore my TV and other distractions. I also set a timer for my app timer to 1 hour for social media. Studies suggest that users spend about 2.5 hours daily on social media, and I’ve more than halved that time. Then I start rereading my previous stories. This should be any writer’s primary strategy to salvage waning momentum, more especially when you are building. Go back to your old stories and read them again. You can start from 3, 5 or 10 stories back. There is no specific point to start from. You know better than anyone where and what will refill your cognitive resources. Your old writings can motivate the hell out of you. After all, if you can’t motivate yourself how can anyone or anything else do that? And this is particularly true when you are building something. It reminds me of my dad. He was always building. If it is not a house then it’s a new business, group, an association or something. But he was always building! I started from my post on building and networking, and was immediately struck by this line, “…most people have dreams but the difference is ALWAYS in the EFFORT we put in. I’m on a journey that involves building a community through writing, teaching and learning. The dream is to ultimately evolve into an online institute of free and affordable skill acquisition. This requires effort..a lot of effort actually. So I better wake up and face that reality instead of just smelling the coffee. Now, rereading your stories refreshes your memory on the path you’ve been on before derailing. David Shoup wrote; “When you focus your attention on your intention you gain momentum”. Also, you regain confidence that you can do it again and continue pushing. “It’s the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen” ~Muhammad Ali By now I had reduced scrolling and watching Netflix reasonably because reading and thinking about my vision started occupying more of my time. Ideas about making progress now flood my thoughts and my OneNote has become a daily tool again. Next up will be my regular exercise, starting with short walks and light workouts. This is where excuses tend to overwhelm your drive but I already wrote about the antidote here. Observe how I’m gradually getting back to my routine. Yes, that’s it. Going back to your routine is the therapy. It is a reset that puts you back in the right direction. To recap in bullet points. Set your reminder & app timer. Go back to your old stories. Start your exercise routine. You see, fitness/wellness is also a psychological concept. If you give up the day because you feel a little unwell, that day is gone..forever! Always convince yourself that you are fit enough to achieve something for the day..like having a good rest. (scrolling and binge-watching Netflix isn’t resting) It’s not often that you are 100% fit. So try to do what you can at any fitness level. For instance, if you aren’t fit enough to drive, you may still be able to read, write or at least listen to a book. And then gradually pick it from there. In no time you’ll be filling those blank pages again. You can start with a to-do list, morning pages, or better still add value by documenting how you overcame a challenge. Like I just did. If you enjoyed this, please share it and hit the follow button to join our community of digital creatives at cmonionline.com let’s grow together. If you wish to emigrate or collaborate, send an email to me let’s work together.