Momentum:  Once an Object Gains Momentum It Tends to Stay In Motion

Financial Planning Justin / June 18, 2020

If you look up inertia in the dictionary you will find its definition to be (emphasis is mine) “the resistance of any physical object to change its velocity. This includes changes to the object’s speed or direction of motion.“ Inertia is the glue preventing too many individuals from chasing their dreams, from finding and living their purpose, and from living a fulfilled life. It’s easy to want to make a change. It’s hard to make change happen.

Too often, whether it be with weight loss goals, savings goals, or career goals, individuals set an ambitious, but attainable, goal only to give up shortly after starting due to some type of set back.

They get off to a great start but life brings an unexpected challenge and they never manage to get back on track—the goal they are chasing seems too far away—and fall back into the rut they so desperately want to escape. Inertia grabs ahold again.

If inertia keeps us stuck on the same path, then we must look to create momentum to break through the inertia and reach our desired path. Momentum refers to an object’s tendency to stay in motion—meaning once an object gains momentum it tends to stay in motion; inertia prevents an object from gaining momentum. They aren’t quite opposites in definition, but I consider them opposing forces.

When chasing your goals, build momentum, and build it as fast as possible—avoid inertia’s pull to keep you in place.

Stacking Wins

Building momentum can be accomplished by setting smaller, micro, goals on your way to your ultimate goal. You don’t set out to run a marathon by heading out of the house and running 26 miles on Day One of training. You’d fail. You’d get discouraged and ultimately quit, never reaching your goal. Instead, you plan, train, and build up to 26.1 miles. You start small—build your confidence, your endurance, and achieve micro-goals along the way. 1 mile, 5 miles, 10 miles…all the way up to your marathon.

Each milestone is a mini-celebration and keeps you progressing toward your goal. I can’t believe I chose a running example as my first example given my disdain for running.

Accumulating $100,000 (or $500,000, or $1million, or $50,000…pick your number), like running a marathon, doesn’t happen overnight either. Planning on going from $0 to $100,000 is setting yourself up for disappointment and ultimately, failure.

 To continue reading, please go to the original article here:

https://allaboutyourbenjamins.com/financial-planning/momentum/