Step 1 — START: Then Build Momentum for Success
Are you paralyzed to the point of inaction by the number of thoughts or ideas you have on a project? Or have you ever thought that you could not get started until you have the perfect solution already figured out?
Many people are afraid to start in one direction, only to find they need to go in another, so they stand still. “I better stay here for just a little longer while I get this completely resolved in my mind,” might be what they are saying to themselves. Just getting started is 80% of the battle. Something not started certainly is not done.
If we want something different to happen, we have to begin somewhere and get things moving. Anything we do starts with this process. It can apply to bigger projects that can seem daunting in the initial phases. But ask yourself this: “does the project get any less scary, difficult, smaller in scale if you stand around and do nothing?” It is the same project that was there moments ago.
Ask yourself this: “does the project get any less scary, difficult, smaller in scale if you stand around and do nothing?”
How then do we meet this challenge? Jim Collins described the term ‘Flywheel Effect’ in this excerpt of his book Good to Great. It applies to the simplest of things as well as the most difficult. You have to start somewhere and continue to work at it.
A flywheel is a huge wheel that takes energy to get it started. It will take continual energy and effort to really get it moving. But once it is going, it begins to deliver significantly more energy than you continue to apply. The flywheel captures all the energy you put into it, then becomes something far greater in its output than the small pieces added during each step or individual input. Momentum works the same way.
In the business world and in real life, every small step you take towards a goal adds energy to the forward movement you want to make. As you build on your project and add followers, their collective energy gets stored, and soon the project is rolling right along. I am sure you have seen this in effect at some point.
Think about a new project or program that was introduced. It started out as an idea. Maybe even an idea that many people would rather not take part in. Change is hard after all, and it is pretty easy standing right where we are now. But, as you share ideas, and show examples of what success looks like, more people gradually start to contribute. You can feel momentum building in the idea. More successes began to reveal themselves. People’s attitude changes, and they contribute increasingly to the project’s success. Finally, the project moves on its own. It is implemented and everyone had accepted it. That is momentum that leads to success. Patience, perseverance, and grit are all necessary ingredients to make it go.
Effort + Time = Output
What we put into something and the amount of time we dedicate to it will determine its eventual outcome and output. It starts with step one, begin the forward motion. If you are stuck on a project, idea, or anything else, resolve to get the first step underway, in any way you can. Don’t let the eventual outcome or future steps get in the way of your first movement. Beginning the motion is always the most difficult task, from there you can build the energy, excitement, and eventual momentum that will take you to new heights.
What small step will you take right now to get the next big thing moving?
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