Momentum

An object that has a lot of momentum is hard to stop. A bowling ball. An ocean liner. A person who will not allow themselves to be derailed.

Physically, an object of any amount of momentum could be stopped in a very short time, if enormous force is exerted. And the same could apply, in theory, to mental affairs. But there's a beautiful symmetry: the momentum you could gain in a day, you could lose in a day. The momentum you build in a year will not be lost due to one horrible day, or even a week or month.

That is the value of increasing your own: if you keep growing your momentum every day, you become harder and harder to stop -- even to yourself. Once you have momentum, it is easier to succeed than fail.

You know when momentum is NOT there. You know and feel it when suddenly you get momentum - there is a reversal in the game (in sports, in work, ...).

How is momentum created? By compounding wins. Starting with small ones: you made it to the gym, you fixed the bug, you got an answer to your sales email. Then ever-larger ones: made it through the whole set, shipped a cool feature, closed the first client. And onto things you didn't think you could do: lifting your bodyweight, remaking the product to 2x growth, signing a Fortune 100 deal.

But you cannot skip the steps. Momentum grows in a reinforcing loop of wins increasing confidence, leading to more wins, etc. Trying to take too large a bite and then failing leads to disappointment and a decrease in momentum.

"Hoog" in Estonian.