David J.

Pollay

Read David's bio and previous columns

December 31, 2007

The Map to Your Own Momentum for Success

“How can I create momentum in my life? I’ve had good momentum in the past, but I lost it. And now I don’t know how to get it back.”

This is a question I hear a lot. People want momentum in their lives and they are surprised when they lose it.

The challenge for most of us is to discover and understand what contributes to our personal momentum. One key to finding the answer is to create what I call a “Momentum Map” of your life. Here’s how it works. 

Grab a blank sheet of paper and a pencil. In the bottom left corner of the page draw a small circle. In the top right corner of the paper draw another small circle. Now draw a line between them. This line represents your life to date. The left circle marks your birth and the right circle represents where you are today. 

Turn the page over and think about your major successes in your life. What have you achieved? What times in your life were the most gratifying and meaningful? Spend 10 minutes listing these accomplishments and experiences.   

Turn the page back over and plot on your timeline all of these important events and experiences in your life. Place a mark and the approximate date on the timeline when the events occurred, and just below them write a two-to-three word description of each achievement.

Then look at the timeline. Choose any period of time when you felt that you were really “on a roll” – when you were experiencing momentum.  

Now identify what I call your “Momentum Accelerators.” Grab another sheet of paper. Think back to this time of achievement and satisfaction. What did you do back then that helped you succeed? What practices did you employ every day? How did you learn? Who was around to help you? How did you use your strengths? Write all these things down.  These are the actions that fueled your success.

Here’s the last step in the Momentum Map process. Get a new sheet of paper. Write out the major goals you plan to achieve over the next nine years. What are you going to do and when? Then turn over your page and draw a line just as you did before, from the bottom left corner to the top right corner of the page. This new line represents the next nine years of your life. Place marks along your new timeline when you expect that you will reach your objectives. Write two-to-three word descriptions for each of these achievements below the marks. 

For the purpose of this exercise, write down the first accomplishment you expect to realize in your future. Your task is to answer this question: “How will I ensure that I create enough momentum in my life to achieve this goal?” The answer can be found in your past. Look at your list of Momentum Accelerators. Are you tapping them fully now? If not, put them back into use. You know how to succeed. You have before. Write down what you’re going to do now.

Most people look to others for motivation. Momentum builders do the opposite. They first look inside themselves for the excellence that is within. This is their foundation. Then they go outside to build the support they need to achieve their goals.

Your Momentum Map will help you create and sustain your exciting future by first leveraging your successful past. Your momentum is yours to create. Enjoy it! And remember to tell me about it.

© 2007 David J. Pollay. Distributed by North Star Writers Group. May not be republished without permission.

Click here to talk to our writers and editors about this column and others in our discussion forum.

To e-mail feedback about this column, click here. If you enjoy this writer's work, please contact your local newspapers editors and ask them to carry it.

This is Column # DJP041. Request permission to publish here.