“What if I backtrack?”
“I’ve made so much progress, what if it stops?”
“I’ve worked so hard…what if everything I’ve built falls apart?”
“What will others say if I can’t keep this up?”
Success is great, but, at times, it can be a double-edged sword.
Our greatest successes often bring with them the fear of losing the momentum we’ve just built. After you’ve worked so hard to reach a certain status or achieve a certain goal, it’s normal to wonder, “What happens if I can’t maintain this? What if I slip back to the way things used to be?”
We begin to believe (whether consciously or subconsciously) that if we cannot maintain the same pace, all previous success will be erased. We convince ourselves that our greatest work and accomplishments simply won’t matter anymore if we do not keep achieving at the same (or higher) level.
Although it may seem a bit counterintuitive, the fear of losing momentum is exactly what will crush your momentum.
Here’s why:
The obsession with maintaining momentum can cloud your vision. Instead of thinking about your work and efforts strategically (making smart, well-informed decisions and calculated actions), it’s easy to simply DO in an effort to keep performing at a high level.
In other words, we start pushing for success instead of planning for it.
Your motto can quickly become: Work faster. Work harder. Work more.
The result?
More energy spent in a less effective way. In this scenario, you are far more likely to waste time, energy, and money because you haven’t taken the time to clearly and strategically outline your goals and create a plan for achieving them.
This is the quickest recipe for burnout that you’ll ever see!
To put it simply, if you want to eventually hate the very thing you are trying so desperately to maintain, KEEP PUSHING! The fruitless grind will get you there, I promise.
If that isn’t what you’re looking for (and I feel confident in saying, it probably isn’t) allow me to suggest a different plan.
Consider each new season (could be a month, quarter, year) as its own separate entity. Each season in life or in business comes with different and unique challenges and opportunities. What is needed from you this month may be different than last month.
Let me give you an easy example:
When a parent adds a child to their family, it can feel as though the world has turned upside down. “Productivity” and “achievement” simply don’t look the same as they did before the baby arrived.
This doesn’t mean these parents are doing anything wrong…it simply means their life is in a different season and their time and energy are being spent on different things.
Here’s another practical example:
When COVID hit, every business and organization had to quickly adjust their plans and operations to adapt to the rapidly changing world. “Progress” and “momentum” likely looked VERY different in 2020 than they did in 2019. To expect to perfectly replicate the previous year or to continue pushing to keep things “as they were” would have been a foolish notion and a waste of time.
It’s OKAY if things look different! It’s OKAY even to slow down a bit or take a step back. In fact, sometimes it’s healthy.
Instead of trying to exactly replicate each new season with the previous one, ask yourself:
- What new challenges am I facing? Do these challenges require a different approach?
- What new opportunities have I been given? How can I make the most of these?
- Where can I best allocate my available time, money, or resources for this season?
If you’ve found yourself pushing to maintain your previous momentum and you’re feeling the residual burnout effects, let me invite you to take a step back and make a different plan.
I can help! If you’d like some support as you consider how to strategically continue making progress, signup for a free strategy call today!
Article was contributed by: Maria Lees, Team Writer with Sarah Boxx
