We often hear the words in sport we have the momentum, keep going. What comes to mind for me is a driving maul going forward in rugby, scoring 7 or 8 points in a five minute period in a hurling match, a run of birdies on the golf course or winning a few contracts in business. This momentum has a great feeling where we are having fun, where team connection is one and where the magic of the flow state is very much present.
There is no better feeling when momentum is on your side but it can at times take a mighty effort to get into motion. Let’s look at the world’s strongest man Eddie Hall that’s in the image below. Eddie knows it will take all his strength to get the plane moving those first few inches, but once he does the momentum he will gain will make it easier to pull the plane across the finish line. Eddie also knows if he stops before the finish line it’s highly unlikely he will get the plane moving again.
We may not have to pull a plane like Eddie but we can learn that sometimes it’s easier to keep going when we have the momentum on our sides. When you feel like quitting, think of Eddie pulling the plane and how hard it’s going to be to get moving again. When we train the mind and take the power back from the screaming inner critic we often find the baby steps that will keep us moving forward.
There are also times where the inevitable will happen, you will lose the momentum and you will find yourself behind the eight ball. The key is not to panic, not to drop the head and to just see it as life’s ebbs and flows but easier said than done. How many times do we see a team loose the momentum, go on a losing streak, start blaming each other and get caught up in negative self- talk?
What to do when you lose momentum?
Stay tight as a team, cut loose bad attitude, stop pushing the answers, stop blaming, stop panicking and strip it back to when things were going well. The foundation you once built on core values, beliefs and work ethic may need to be checked and re strengthened if required. Clearing the head of limiting thoughts and having the mantra of ‘this too shall pass’ will help you see the light again and renewed momentum.
