The Momentum Myth: Why You’re Not Reaching Your Goals (And How To Fix It)

You’ve probably heard that to succeed, you must take big risks and go all in. But what if I told you that wasn’t true? In this blog post, I’m going to talk about the momentum myth and how playing it small can actually help you achieve your goals faster. And don’t miss the bonus tips on how to apply this information to your financial life to get ahead!

When it comes to our life and financial goals, it can be easy to get overwhelmed with the big picture and feel we need to accomplish them all at once. We want to have our dream job, make six figures, save for retirement—all while still taking time off to enjoy life. But trying to do it all in one go can be so daunting that we never start. 

But trying to do it ALL in one go can be so daunting that we never start…

Momentum Myth

This is where I want to introduce to you “The Momentum Myth.” The idea is that to become successful, it’s an all-or-nothing game that you must start and end big to accomplish anything. Unfortunately, this type of thinking can be detrimental because trying to achieve your goals all at once can seem scary, complicated, and overwhelming. So much so that we never gain the momentum we need to snowball our results. So digging in, let’s define momentum.

Definition: MOMENTUM – the strength or force gained by motion or by a series of events. ⁽¹⁾

On the surface, this seems simple enough to achieve. Get things in motion, and we will accomplish our goals. But we have all experienced that things don’t just roll forward on their own.

What’s missing from MOMENTUM when we start? It’s MOTIVATION. 

MOTIVATION, when broken down, means MOVE TO ACTION.

If we set goals, tasks, or steps too big, there is NO motivation. Or stated another way, the FEAR and UNCERTAINTY surrounding those goals are too much to overcome or to begin. Quite simply, motivation comes before momentum. But let’s take the concept back one more step. How do you get motivated? You do this by playing it small. Small, you say? Didn’t I just tell you that I wanted to achieve big goals?

Breaking Things Down 

Breaking your goals into smaller, more achievable steps will provide you with the MOTIVATION or MOTION that, in turn, creates MOMENTUM, which establishes the FORCE to accomplish your goals. And what’s funny is that while momentum takes time, it builds quicker than you think.

I am a super visual person, so here is an example. Walking just 200 steps per day, equivalent to two city blocks, would only take 75% of a year to walk a marathon. Yes, 26.2 miles in less than a year from just 200 steps per day. See, the little stuff can add up quickly. ⁽²⁾

The little steps will carry you farther in the long run because you are moving. Not procrastinating. Not worrying. Not over researching. Not ignoring “it” because “it” is too big or hard. By breaking goals down into one tiny action item at a time and making just a little progress each week, you will be in a whole different place in 12 months.

For your financial goals, it can be overwhelming to think how you will pay for all your kid’s sports and activities AND a vacation this year. At the same time, inflation has you worried about how groceries and fuel are eating everything you have. And man, you really do NEED that vacation, but it’s scary to think how you’ll tackle the millions you’ve been told you’ll need to save for retirement. 

The key to playing it small is to break things down as much as possible. Start by setting yourself up for success with attainable short-term tasks rather than trying to tackle a long-term goal all at once. So instead of setting a massive goal like becoming a millionaire, set intermediate goals like saving $1,000 by the end of the year or investing 10% of your salary every month. This will make it easier for you to stay focused and motivated and give you something tangible to track and measure progress on. In addition, by breaking down goals into bite-sized pieces, we can reduce anxiety and make progress toward achieving them without feeling overwhelmed.

Making Micro Adjustments 

Once you have broken down the task into smaller chunks, start making micro-adjustments along the way. This means making tiny changes that will get you closer to achieving a goal instead of spending hours trying to perfect everything from the start. Making micro-adjustments also allows for more flexibility because if something isn’t working exactly as you planned, you can quickly adjust without wasting too much time or energy. Also, knowing that the individual tasks don’t need to be perfect helps keep perfectionism procrastination at bay.

Celebrate the Journey

It is also important to remember that progress doesn’t happen overnight; Rome wasn’t built in a day, after all! Celebrate small wins along the way, as they will help keep your morale high. Acknowledging the little successes on your journey will provide motivation during difficult times when it feels like nothing is happening or changing fast enough. We often get blinded by the overall goal when what we should be celebrating is the journey to reach that goal. The journey is the day-to-day life activities where we spend all our time. If we aren’t enjoying that, reaching the goal won’t be as sweet, and the celebration becomes a minor radar blip versus a lifetime of memories. 

Acknowledging the little successes on your journey will provide motivation during difficult times when it feels like nothing is happening or changing fast enough…

Practical Action Steps

Okay, so now you understand the concept, how do you practically apply this to your financial goals? Here are some ideas on small or micro-movements that you can make big swings over time to your overall goals.