Sorry Sir Isaac Newton

“An object in motion will stay in motion until acted upon by an external force.”

Source: Everyone and their mother.

I’m sure you’ve heard of Sir Isaac Newton’s first law of motion, or something similar to it. If you haven’t, I’m only slightly judging you.

Either way, you're not here for a science lesson. You’re here to improve yourself.

So, let’s start with a question:

Has there been a time in your life when you’ve felt unstoppable? Where you made substantial progress despite setbacks and challenges?

Chances are, you’ve had at least one moment like this. If not…that is quite unfortunate.

For me, this happened in the middle part of 2022.

For about three weeks, I made big steps in my personal and professional life. My energy was always high, my productivity was skyrocketing, and I was on top of the world.

Unfortunately, this invincible feeling slowly left me as the weeks went by. So, I did what any logical person would do:

Cry alone in the shower.

No, I’m just kidding. I asked myself, “Why did I feel this way and how can I replicate it?”

And I think I found the answers…

The first question can be answered in a single word:

Momentum.

It turns out Sir Isaac Newton was onto something, no matter how boring science can be (sorry Isaac).

We feel so great during these times because we have lots of forward momentum. Another term for it is the snowball effect.

This is what turns a good moment into a good day, a good day into a good week, and a good week into a good month.

For example, let’s say I wake up this morning and immediately make my bed (which I totally do every morning).

This feeling of accomplishment, although small, causes me to go for a morning walk.

And because I am already in athletic clothes from my walk, I do some weight training too.

And because I did weight training, it only makes sense that I would eat a healthy meal after.

And since I ate a healthy meal, I go to bed earlier to make sure my body can recover.

And because…I think you get the point.

When we have forward momentum, it’s easier for us to make better decisions. We look at the good choices we made earlier and say, “Well, I should keep the streak going.”

So, now we know the importance of momentum…

But how can we turn this once-in-a-while feeling into a driver of growth?

1. Just start doing things.

Most of us know what to do to improve our lives. The problem is, we just don’t do them.

Simply by starting, we could create forward momentum that leads to tremendous results.

Just read a single page. Just walk for 5 minutes. Just take the first step, and the rest will follow.

2. Examine your lifestyle,

and see if there are places where you constantly have backward momentum. Where one bad decision leads to another and soon you’re far behind where you used to be.

Understand that only a couple of positive actions can break this negative cycle.

3. Don’t break the chain.

If you’ve meditated every day for the last 3 months, you’ll feel more obligated to stay on track compared to if you're in week one.

Even by doing deep breathing for a minute, you’re keeping your momentum going forward.

This can be applied to whatever positive act your heart desires.

Whatever you do, don’t break the chain.

All in all, momentum is a strong tool for self-improvement when used correctly.

However, it can also be a big hindrance to growth when left to its own devices.

I hope this week’s newsletter helped you understand the importance of momentum and explained how to make it work for you rather than against you.

As always, please actually apply what you’ve learned rather than being lame.

Keep making progress. Change for the better. Live the Heming-way.

See you next Monday,

Trevor

P.S.: Have a happy Halloween (HMU to trade Almond Joys for Snickers).