"If you're coasting, you're either losing momentum or else you're headed downhill."
--- Joan Welsh
Do you ever have those days (or even weeks) where you are going full throttle, getting things done, effortlessly tackling problems and producing at a very high level? You just feel like if you stop, you will break the momentum so you just keep going. For some of us, those days are rare, but most of us at least have a memory of a day or two like that.
Keeping the momentum going is always a challenge, especially when every time you start moving, a brick wall is there to meet you. Successful business people are the ones that even though they hit that wall, they still try to keep going.
"Momentum is the most unstoppable force in sports. The only way to stop it is if you get in your own way, start making stupid mistakes or stop believing in yourself."
--- Rocco Mediate
The "keep keeping on" phrase can aggravate some of us when it is not the cheer we need to hear at the moment, but it is the solution to overcoming business obstacles.
Dr. John Maxwell, an internationally recognized leadership expert, illustrates it like this: A train travelling 55 mph on a railroad track can crash through a 5-foot thick steel-reinforced concrete wall without stopping. That same train, starting from a stationary position, won't be able to go through an inch-thick block in front of the driving wheel.
Maxwell developed a list of ten momentum makers and solutions to those he calls momentum breakers.
"The great thing in the world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving."
--- Oliver Wendell Holmes
A few of those include: Momentum breaker -- double-mindedness and the Momentum maker - focus. He states that by creating and following a clear and focused vision statement, a leader develops momentum. A leader drains away momentum by shooting at nothing or attempting everything.
Movement causes friction. When you paint a target for your team, you'll likely encounter resistance. As a leader, you can't restrict yourself by living inside of someone else's comfort zone. Great accomplishments require leaders to fix their gaze beyond what's easily attainable.
"We are either progressing or retrograding all the while. There is no such thing as remaining stationary in this life."
--- James Freeman Clarke
Another maker and breaker is: Momentum breaker - conformity and Momentum maker - change. As John F. Kennedy said, "Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth." Sticking with the status quo won't create an ounce of momentum. Although it's difficult and may demand sacrifice, change is required to build momentum.
"Commitment is the igniter of momentum."
--- Attributed to Peg Wood
Finally, the Momentum breaker - the past is resolved by the Momentum maker - the future. Maxwell states that an organization picks up steam when its leaders point to a better tomorrow. Momentum breaks down when leaders preoccupy themselves with the past. Or, as I've heard quoted, "Losers yearn for the past and get stuck in it. Winners learn from the past and let go of it."
Many people have powerful dreams. However, most don't realize that the viability of their ideal tomorrow is based on what they do today. The difference between a dream and wishful thinking is what you're doing now. Practice today what you want to be tomorrow. If you do it well enough, someday you may arrive at your dream.
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Despite the ongoing competition of more modern light sources as a sign illumination, neon still has a place in the hearts of most sign makers, as well as many American urban skylines.
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Small Colorado Shop Wraps Up Success
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When you listen to your customers, they sometimes will show you exactly how to build your business to that next level.
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As seen on a Jiffy Lube sign in MA:
"Weapons of Mass Lubrication"
On the property line of a rancher somewhere out West:
"Prayer is the Best Way to Meet the Lord. Trespassing is Faster"
Outside of an Irish Pub:
"Soup of the Day: Whiskey!"
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