Momentum = Drive-Drag
Do you want to get moving? I mean really moving?
Sometimes it feels like getting started is an uphill battle. There can be so many draws on our time and emotions that not slipping backwards even feels hard.
Yeah that’s pretty natural. You already know that when you’re standing on a hill, it takes more effort to go up than down. So to get somewhere, we have to accept that our drive has to be stronger than whatever is dragging us back. And if we can keep drive stronger than drag, momentum gets stronger and faster and becomes a force of drive itself.
So what’s involved in Drive and Drag. Let’s look at Drag first.
DRAG stands for Doubt, Resistance, Aversion to loss, and Generalisation.
Doubt: If you’re trying to start something, it’s natural to look for proof that what you’re attempting is going to work. If you can’t see that proof, you doubt yourself and the idea.
Resistance: Maybe you are experiencing resistance to your idea. That’s not necessarily on you or your idea — it’s as likely to be down to others. Doing nothing is easier than doing something. Inertia is easier than change.
Aversion to loss: We’re naturally cautious of new things because we don’t want to lose out by giving it a go. Some people are early adopters, but they aren’t easy to find and don’t always connect with your idea.
Generalisation: It’s human nature to generalise and fill any gaps in knowledge with assumptions from other experiences. If we’re not describing things clearly, we can’t blame the reader for making up the rest.
It’s easy to see how DRAG is a natural force such that we have to expend effort just to stay in place. The good news is, that DRIVE is also a natural force and by recognising it and fuelling it, we can generate momentum.
Drive stands for Direction, Reminders, Incentives, Values and Emotions.
Direction is simply knowing clearly where you want to go. If this isn’t clear, you will be pulling yourself in too many directions. Imagine 10 people around a car on a hill all pushing in different directions. You’re going nowhere unless you’re pushing in the same direction.
Reminders help you keep your focus. They can be inspirational pictures, goals or just notes to remind you to do a specific task. The important bit is making sure they’re visible when you forget where you’re going.
Incentives are the little pats on the back for the small wins you find along the way. Change them up, physically pat yourself on the back and tell yourself ‘way to go’ when you get over a barrier, take an unscheduled break, do something you enjoy, but recognise that each step is progress and reward yourself in some small way.
Values is about knowing what your idea brings to the world. They’re about knowing how what you are doing makes things better, easier or more valuable to people. The more clear you are on that, the less Generalisation there will be and the easier people will pick up and engage with your message.
Emotion is arguably what drives us all. Why are you doing what you’re doing? What do you hope to feel? Excited? Inspired? Determined? Connected to others? More confident in yourself? Or maybe you’re just doing this to learn. That’s all good. Just take time to know your emotions.
When you realise your drives, and focus on them, act on them, you find that DRAG gradually becomes weaker and DRIVE gradually becomes stronger and maybe sooner than you expect you might reach the top of the hill, where you can see much more and decide anew where you want to go.
