Build Some Momentum

In order for a car to go 100 miles an hour, it must first go 20 miles an hour

Before someone can bench press 300 pounds, they must bench 135 pounds

Before you can run a marathon, you must first run a mile.

Before you can be successful, you must build some momentum

Everyone who is successful at anything was once just getting started. The important thing however, is that you DO get started! What is it that you've been putting off? I don't care what it is or how long you've been putting it off. It doesn't even matter why you've been putting it off, because more than likely you will feel much better once you finally take that first step. At the very least get your feet wet. 

I've spent so much of my life simply doing what was required of me. Going to work, going to school, filing my taxes, etc. And during this time I had goals. I had goals that I really really wanted to achieve in my life. But I never took any steps to get there. Now, one of my big goals is to be a motivational speaker. Instead of thinking up ideas and even creating doubts in my mind, I decided to start this blog to build some momentum. Sure, I may not be a motivational speaker yet, but I'm much closer to becoming one than someone who never did anything to reach their goal.

Similarly, I got extremely out of shape during 2016. It wasn't entirely my fault, because I hurt my chest and was unable to workout. And being so out of shape, it was intimidating for me to go back and try some tough workouts. So what did I do? I built momentum! I started by doing a 30 minute workout every single day. There was no pressure to perform, my only goal was to get a single workout in no matter how tired I was. Eventually, I got myself to the point where I could do longer, more intense workouts. And now, I'll be doing my first triathlon this coming Sunday!

You see it's not at all about being great to begin with. Nor is it about going all out on the first try. It's more about building momentum. Momentum is built through persistence. Persistence is built through will power. And that all begins with YOU. Making the decision to act, and work towards your goals.

3 Types of Pain you Must Push Through

Throughout the course of your life you will be exposed to a lot of pain, especially if you're trying to be very successful. A key skill that will help you on your journey to success, is understanding how to deal with different types of pain. Here, I've divided the types of pin you will encounter int three broad catergories. Knowing how to manage each type when you encounter it will make you much less prone to failure or quitting early.

1) Physical Pain

This is most commonly talked-about pain. This is the kind of pain you literally need to "push through" if you want to be successful. This pain occurs when you're doing physical activity. The majority of motivational videos are based upon pushing through pain in the physical sense. Understanding the basis of physical pain is very simple, but it's not necessarily easy. It takes a lot of willpower to increase your physical pain threshold. That's why many Olympians and professional athletes are such a rare breed. Because they're not afraid to push through extreme physical pain. You have to stay focused on the destination and reward for not quitting. If you focus too much on the physical pain, you will not be successful.

2) Mental/Psychological Pain

Have you ever been studying for an exam or reading a book, and felt exhausted after a certain amount of time? Or been sitting in meetings or filing taxes/paperwork for an extended period of time, and felt exhausted? This is mental pain. That's why people who work at a desk all day can come home and feel tired. It's not because they are physically exhausted, but mentally and psychologically exhausted. You must understand that your ability to persist through this type of pain is essential to your success in this day and age. With the advancement of technology, you may have to be at your computer or laptop for hours on end in order to be successful. You have to be willing to persist and push through the pain!

3) Emotional/Spiritual Pain

Whenever you are rejected by others or turned-down for a certain opportunity, you will experience emotional pain. The reason this pain differs so greatly from that of the other two, is that we on't actively seek out this type of pain. This specific type of discomfort occurs when another person rejects or betrays you, which is entirely out of your control. Ever applied for a job and didn't get the job offer? How did it make you feel? Most likely, you were less inclined to apply for a different job from that same company. That's becasue you let the hiring manager break your spirit, and you gave up. The way to push through emotional pin, is simply to be persistent. Here, you'e not just fighting against your own willpower, but your fighting against other people's opinion of you. You have to be strong-willed her. Other people will be against you, but if you persist against the grain, you will be successful.

All in all, you need to be persistent in your pursuit of your goals. If you choose to push through the massive amounts of pain that will be throw your way, you'll eventually succeed. It won't be easy, and it won't happen overnight. You need to stay motivated over the long-term, and set our goals high.

Video Review: Who Do I Need to Become?

I'll be honest, I was planning on using a different video for Monday Motivational. I initially had an Elliott Hulse video planned, and he'll certainly be featured here soon. But that was before I came across this one, and I feel as though this one is more relevant. I also liked how the first minute of this video had me hooked with the line "who do you want to be tomorrow? The guy who quit? Or the guy that kept going?"

This video features two speakers, Freddy Fri and Chris Ross. I hadn't previously heard of either of these speakers before, but after watching this video I definitely need to listen to more of their speeches. I personally loved the unique insight this video brought. Most motivational videos I've come across have focused mainly on the present moment, and the challenges you'll have to face. This video however, focuses on tomorrow. It's not about waiting until tomorrow to get to work, but more about how you will feel about yourself in the future if you choose to act today.

Every single decision you choose to make will affect your future. You choose to go to the gym this morning? Then you'll be more inclined to do so in the future. You choose to wake up at 5AM today? Then you'll be more productive and better prepared for the future. You choose to go to a networking event? That might land you a great business opportunity in the future. 

You must realize that every opportunity you have is significant to your future. It may seem like no big deal to skip your workout, call in sick for work, or sleep in late one day. But it is a huge deal! While it may not seem that way, the decisions you make today, especially the really difficult ones, will determine who you'll be in the next month, year, and further in the future. 

I want to leave you all with this one thought before you go about your day:

Even if you have the best thoughts and ideas, but don't put them into action, you will achieve nothing. An average thought plus execution, is worth much more than a genius thought that was never put into action. Make the decision to act today. It will make you a better person tomorrow. 

Happy Monday!