4 Steps to Control Momentum in Your Life

There is nothing better than the days when work seems easy and exciting. You are executing on a high level with what seems like little effort. Unfortunately, for most people, these days seem to come and go on a whim.

What if there was a way to actually control your “in the zone” feeling? What if you could take the power of being in the zone and switch it on or off as needed?

According to Andy Frisella, you can.

Andy refers to this as learning how to control your momentum. He claims most ultra-successful high performance people know how to do this and you can learn it too.

Andy Frisella is the real deal. He is a best selling author and incredibly successful entrepreneur (CEO of 1st Phorm among several other companies). But Andy certainly didn’t start at the top. He endured many years of frustration and failure in business.

Create it when you need it.

The opposite of “the zone” is the feeling of moving with bricks on your feet. You feel drained, and apathetic about your work. Nothing comes easy and you really just don’t want to do what you’re supposed to do. EVERYONE (including the ultra wealthy) experiences this type of feeling, but only few truly know how to control their momentum to spin it into something positive.

Next time you experience the “moving with bricks on your feet” feeling, realize that you have 3 options:

1. Do nothing, sit at your desk, look busy and try not to get fired.

2. Grind out that day, do what you don’t feel like doing.

3. Flip on your momentum and get right back in the zone.

Which one would you choose?

Average people will choose option 1—do nothing.

Ambitious people might choose option 2—grind it out. Grinding it out can work, but that is no way to live. Grinding is not fun, it is forced and laborious, you might be getting work done but it is far from easy, effortless or exciting. The goal is to be productive and have a good time doing it!

Clearly option 3 is the ideal scenario. So how does it work? How can we actually learn the skill of controlling momentum?

4 Steps to Control Momentum in Your Life

These are practical steps. Not motivation, this is a plan for execution:

1. Focus on the results/benefits not the work you have to do.

2. Learn to celebrate the small steps as victories. Success is just small wins compounded overtime.

3. Set up your life in a way that creates natural momentum. Figure out what you can do on a daily basis to create your routine for production.

4. Surround yourself with other people who are enthusiastic.

Focus on the Results not the Work

Be conscious of where you put your focus. What are you focusing on? Are you focusing on the work that you have to do or the benefits that the work will bring you when it’s done. Don’t sit at the bottom of Mount Everest and think “dang I have to climb this huge mountain”. Focus on the benefits, not the work and say “how awesome is it gonna be when I climb this mountain?!”

Success is Just Small Wins Compounded Over Time

Learn how to celebrate the small steps as victories. Going to the gym when you really don’t feel like going is an example of a small win. If you skipped the gym every time you didn’t feel like going, then you would greatly slow down or impede any progress you were hoping to make. But if you are able to overcome that feeling every time and go to the gym anyway, your wins will compound and you will reach your goals much faster. You can apply this to all aspects of life.

Creating Natural Momentum

A positive mindset is a crucial part of building momentum. Practices of gratitude can quickly put your mind in a positive state. A practice of gratitude could be as simple as soon as you get out of bed brush your teeth and think of 5 things that you are thankful for in your life. Start your day by immersing yourself in positivity. Let that positivity carry you into the rest of your day.

Surround Yourself With other People Who Are Enthusiastic

Enthusiasm about your work or life in general is powerful. Find the people who give off “good vibes” no matter what. Spend more time with them. Good energy is contagious, if you are surrounded by good energy it will rub off on you. Enthusiastic people have a much greater chance at positively moving and influencing the people they interact with.

I would highly recommend listening to Andy Frisella’s podcast, the MFCEO Project Episode 085 “Controlling Momentum”. Many of the ideas from this article came from this podcast episode.

Next time a coworker asks you at 10am, “how’s it going?” you can tell them “it’s going great and I’m crushing it” rather than the typical “meh, it’s alright I guess”. You will be much more enthusiastic about your work and people will begin to notice the good vibes you are putting out.

Now that you know the steps to controlling momentum, put them into action. Building momentum is a skill. You have to practice it and consistently work to seriously develop this skill. Developing a new skill does not happen from reading about it!