Momentum

Momentum Mountain

From the moment we decide, a force is required. Strategic action geared to find, and then maintain momentum.

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“Inspiration is perishable – act on it immediately.” -Naval Ravikant

Meaningful momentum is awakened in endless ways. Early momentum might mean showing up at an event for the first time, researching the competitive landscape, testing an early hypothesis, leaning into customer discovery, considering potential co-founders, building product, and eventually activating a launch sequence.

Once a project is launched, the need for momentum gets stronger. It only becomes more important. There are a world of examples, but growing the business, achieving milestones, and celebrating progress are all forms of valuable momentum. Even in later stages of a company, momentum drives activities like succession planning, navigating exit paths, and considering how your human, financial, cultural, intellectual, and network capital can be recycled back into the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

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If momentum is maintained long enough, the result can be a flywheel effect that feeds on itself. Most things you want to grow require attention, but with less friction, momentum delivers bonus time and valuable understandings. Space for new activity emerges and that keeps things interesting.

The tough reality may be that if momentum is melting, it’s difficult to recapture. Once something melts, it’s never quite the same. These dips are moments to consider when and what to quit. If there’s enough energy to keep going, there may be a way to keep building.

Like the opening quote reminds us, inspiration is perishable. The longer stagnancy lingers, the farther you get from momentum. Tactics to maintain kamiwaza, even when momentum is melting, starts with communication. Honest communication adds clarity and is the easiest way to appreciate the realities of slowness. Reducing the weird by exposing the why, also keeps different stakeholders on the same page. By reducing the tension that quietly brews in silence, teams may be able to run at lower speeds, even during lethargic times. If left unattended however, this can devolve into a lack of urgency that brings another set of challenges. At lower speeds, perhaps less movement is needed to regain the sense of shared momentum?

That’s a real thought, but a tad boring. When it’s time to thrive, not just survive, sparks fly as initiative is taken. Tactics for climbing a momentum mountain include:

    • Connecting within startup communities
    • Travel and learning something new
    • Saying “yes” to unlock adventure
    • Saying “no” to create space
    • Revisiting customer discovery
    • Building a new feature
    • Considering a pivot
    • Onboarding new customers
    • Adding to the team
    • Have fun, then stay centered on a climb down
    • Whatever else generates joy in your own life

Momentum is crucial to playing long-term games with long-term counterparts. Find a good pace by exploring the momentum you’ll need at different stages of the quest. This awareness helps you quit chasing momentum and sets us free to forge better art at a sustainable speed. Continue to multiply mass and velocity, which equates to momentum when, where, and how it’s needed to stay wild.

By Ben McDougal, ago

First Steps

Watching toddlers learn to walk is adorable. This right of passage also reminds us how fresh motivation may be needed when progress seems to stall.

At first, early moves felt natural and crawling has done the job. As children see what’s possible, expectations are raised. With parental guidance, promising signs are filled with excitement and success feels within reach. Time passes though, and sometimes that loving motivation can lose its luster. Progress stalls and concern can start to brew, but what if the breakthrough is just waiting for a fresh source of encouragement? Even when it’s on accident, as new motivation is introduced, almost all at once, progress proceeds. We scramble for the camcorder and those precious first steps are enjoyed by all. Six more weeks of practice is needed, but this achievement renews momentum that keeps our little ones moving forward.

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For parents smiling as they read this, know that Pure Wonder, #1 DAD, Winding Whys, Training Wheels, Playforce, Santa is Real, and many of the emerging episodes from You Don’t Need This Podcast are just as fun!

For students, entrepreneurs, and intrapreneurs building around new ideas, the dance with innovation may also require shifting gears once in awhile. Next time an engine stalls, step back to consider that alternate angle, talk to peers with different perspectives, take a little time away, or show up unannounced to adapt and get back in business.

By Ben McDougal, ago

Uncertainty

Comfort in the unknown is uncommon.

We’ve all seen Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and the desire for reliable outcomes feels prehistoric. Like a lingering decision that still needs an answer, uncertainty feels heavy when you’re not used to the mental weight.

This makes it valuable to juggle a little uncertainty. Start with small things that don’t matter. For instance, let the chef select your dinner or try a new way to stand out at that next community event. As you learn to feel what it’s like to be comfortable in the uncomfortable, you’ll be more at ease when important uncertainties emerge.

What’s the point of such preparation? The freedom to build your own reality requires sacrifice and the sense of certainty can hold us back from where we want to be.

This sounds dramatic, but when it comes to our work, certainty is often an illusion contrived by the industrial age. A “safe” position in the factory is one decision away from a broken promise. The factory worker’s willingness to play it safe may extend a sense of temporary security, but this is a choice that makes you easy to replace with cheaper labor, faster tools, and advancing technology.

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Life is united by uncertainty.
What a gift we all share together.

Those who want to be indispensable transcend their own comfort zone. This doesn’t mean irrational decisions loaded with risk. This mindset is a form of contentment without being complacent. It’s gratitude and not taking our time for granted. It’s inviting fresh opportunities and coordinating momentum, even when dancing with the unknown is required. As we tune into the right rhythm by sequencing different steps, more complex moves can be introduced and before you know it, you’re dancing with the stars.

By Ben McDougal, ago