Momentum

Do you ever listen to a great podcast and feel all hyped and excited for a while, then it goes away? Or go to see a motivational speaker and feel full of creativity and drive, only to have it disappear a few days or weeks later?  I like to call this Momentum. This effect is all about the saying” where your focus goes, energy flows.” When we watch and listen to uplifting content, we are match our energy to the same frequency as the speaker and as long as we are focused on them, we hold that frequency.  But once our focus shifts to something else,our old thought patterns come in and we lose that Momentum. Momentum is so important in creating change. Most people are unaware of the thoughts they are constantly thinking. We have about 60,000 thoughts in a day! Who has the time to pay attention to every one!?  Unfortunately it is very important to pay attention. Our thoughts create our feelings and reality. When we have negative thought patterns, they affect our perception and choices; the reverse is also true. There is good news though, we don’t have to get rid of negative thoughts. They aren’t something to run away from and as I have written about in other blogs, they are actually extremely informative.  

Think of your state of being, mood or frequency being like a radio.  Depending on what frequency you are on, will give you a certain station.  If you are 97.6, you’ll get rock. If you are 100.3, you’ll get country. Your thoughts are the same. If you are experiencing lots of negative thoughts you are on a negative frequency.  Just like the radio when you don’t like a song that comes on, we have the ability to change the station of our thoughts too, it just takes focus and commitment. I tell all of my clients the first step is awareness.  You have to become aware of your thoughts and beliefs before you can change them and to really become aware of them you need to listen carefully and get to know them better. Once you have done that, you are able to observe your thoughts and feelings and suddenly “see” yourself in your pattern rather than feeling lost and confused as to why you feel a certain way.  This is like watching a great movie at the theater. Sometimes we are so into the movie, we can completely forget we are even in a theater. Other times we will be very into the movie, but also aware we are in a theater watching it. Once you pull yourself out of the drama enough to remember you are in a theater you can start choosing what you want to focus on. 

Step 1.  Stop. Listen. Notice.  We live in a world very focused on the neck up.  Smartphones, email, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat...we are always in our head!  If you want to control your Momentum you have to practice listening to your body and that means getting out of your head.  Our body is our subconscious. It’s actually very simple... stop, move your focus into your body and observe. Are you tense? Sad? Angry?  Anxious? What are you feeling right now and what beliefs in that moment to would cause you to feel that way?

Step 2. Redirect.  Once you become aware of how you are feeling and thinking, purposely redirect your focus on what you want.  If you are tense, relax your muscles. If you are sad, is there something you can do to help yourself in that moment?  If not, acknowledge it is ok to be sad and put your focus on something that you enjoy, even if it’s just slight enjoyment.  Anything slightly different than what you are currently feeling will build Momentum. If you are angry or anxious, it’s the same thing. No matter the emotion, the steps are still the same.

Step 3.  Keep the Momentum going.  This is the most important part.  You have to keep your focus on what you want and what feels good.  Sometimes there are things we can do to “fix” our situation somewhat immediately, but often there is nothing we can do to fix it in that moment and resisting what is, creates war within yourself.  Wave your white flag to life and shift your focus in the direction you want to go. What we feed our brain is as important as what we feed our bodies. Listen to your body, it will communicate to you what feels good and what doesn’t.  

Most importantly, don’t quit.  Sometimes we build Momentum in a direction we actually rather not be in, but don’t notice until it’s going full force.  It’s ok! It's not fun, but it is ok. As soon as you gain awareness of where you are, you now have the power to shift your focus.  Practice, repeat, practice repeat. It takes time to master our mind and emotions. Have patience with yourself.