David J.

Pollay

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January 7, 2008

How to Boost Your Momentum in 2008 – The Formula

The follow-up to my three-part series.

“How’s my momentum?” is the question we should ask ourselves every day. For the last three weeks we have focused on answering this question. Today’s column is a follow-up to our three-part series.

How do you know you have momentum? You experience momentum when opportunities related to your passion in life appear faster than you could have imagined. You catch yourself saying, “This is the most fun I’ve ever had!” Or, “I can barely keep up with all the possibilities!”

Others will also let you know that you have momentum. You’ll hear them saying things like, “You’re on a roll!” Or, “You’re career is in high gear!” Or, “You are unstoppable!” 

The physics formula for momentum states that “mass” multiplied by “velocity” equals momentum. The more mass you have and the higher your velocity, the more momentum you experience.

In my treatment of momentum your mass is who you are. The more you bring of your most natural talent, passion, and energy to your work, the greater your mass. You are a giant when you tap your best self in your work. We should all strive to do work that allows us to tap our greatest strengths.

Your velocity is what you do with your mass. When you ask for help, when you partner with others, when you continually receive training, when you practice what you do, when you are willing to try new things, you increase your velocity. Your speed of achievement increases when you focus on activities that multiply the power of your best self. 

One of the most powerful ways that you can build momentum is to match your natural strengths and passion with an expertise. Becoming an expert in the field you love will put you in very small company. Why? First, most people do not do what they love. Second, most people do not want to put in the time and effort it takes to become an expert.

Anders Ericsson, a psychologist at Florida State University, found in his research that 10,000 hours of study is required to be a top expert. To give you an idea how that would translate into daily living, I did some math. If you studied four hours a day for seven years with no breaks on the weekend, and no vacations, you would reach 10,000 hours. Ericsson said that the least accomplished experts in his study spent a minimum of 5,000 hours on their craft. If you figured this number for your target, and you kept your weekends free, you would study for four hours a day for five years.

The bottom line is simple. You better love what you are doing if you’re going to spend that much time doing it. 

New York University psychology professor Amy Wrzesniewski describes people whose work is pleasurable, enjoyable and fulfilling as having a “calling.” Wrzesniewski’s research showed that people who have a calling have the highest life and job satisfaction of all employees. She also found that people with a calling miss the fewest days of work. It makes sense. We don’t want to miss doing what we love!

In our terms, people with a calling have momentum. They love their work; it is not just a job. We might say that people with a calling have greater mass. They do what they love and focus on bringing out their best self. And people with a calling have greater velocity. They do whatever it takes to help them achieve their goals. 

The most successful people know how to build and keep momentum. Get your momentum and enjoy your best possible life!

© 2008 David J. Pollay. Distributed by North Star Writers Group. May not be republished without permission.

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