Momentum: Why Staying in Motion Matters...

I used to run for exercise.  This was before the complaining from my lower back and my knees gave me enough justification to quit.  It didn’t take much justification, if I’m being truly honest with you.  The year I turned 40 I ran my one and only full marathon.  

After having spent months and months pounding out the miles to build my endurance, the day finally came to see if I could run non-stop for 26.2 miles.  To my delight, I achieved my goal.  Sure it took me just over 4 hours to complete the race (not exactly a time that would qualify me for the Boston Marathon), yet I was very pleased with myself. 

So pleased, in fact, that the next time I laced up a pair of running shoes was just short of ELEVEN MONTHS LATER.  I had to basically start conditioning my body and mind all over again. 

We all know the joys of trying to start a new health regimen.  The first week or two of working out can be brutal.  I’ve heard it said that running 10 miles really isn’t all that hard – it’s putting on your running shoes in the morning that can seem impossible.  It is all really about momentum - the extent to which we maintain a positive direction.

The same is true within organizations.  I can recount dozens of projects and programs that were started (with great effort) and for various reasons ground to a halt even though they were successful.  Typically, the grant funding would dry up.  So very frustrating.  Redeploying existing and oftentimes diminishing resources isn’t always an option when you scarcely have the resources to provide core services.

Momentum.   What are you doing for yourself personally and professionally to keep things headed in a positive direction?