Welcoming Unanticipated Opportunities

Last week, we started a two-part series about momentum. Momentum is not just a scientific or physical principle or force. It's a spiritual principle or force, also. 

Believe it or not, you can have forward momentum working for you. How do you do that? First, by knowing what momentum is. Second, by understanding how momentum works. Third, by utilizing momentum to create forward movement in a positive direction for where you want to go. That’s what this article is all about.

Notice I said that momentum is a spiritual principle and force. Do you realize God utilized momentum in creating the universe? 

"In the beginning, God created the heaven and the Earth. And the Earth was without form and void; darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, "Let there be light: and there was light." Genesis 1:1-3.

That's what is known as the Big Bang. The Hebrew translation for “Let there be light” is “Light, be!” What was in God’s mind came out of God’s mouth, and Boom! God created two essential things for life as we know it: mass and velocity. 

Remember the formula for momentum? Momentum = Mass x Velocity. The result was a boom. Mass was created for planets, stars, and galaxies - velocity propelled the mass at the speed of light and even faster. Right now, the closest galaxy to Earth is moving away from Earth at 150,000 mph. The farthest galaxies are moving away from Earth faster than the speed of light. Why? Momentum. In a real sense, the first invisible force that God created was momentum. Learn a lesson from the beginning of creation: Momentum is everywhere you are. Utilize God’s asset!

Today, let's discover three more lessons about momentum to add to the three lessons we learned last week.    

Lesson Four. It is essential to know the difference between positive and negative momentum so you can get momentum moving in the right direction. Lois McMaster Bujold says, "Forward momentum only works as a strategy if one correctly identifies which way was forward." Morgan Wooten says, “You learn more from losing than winning. You learn how to keep going.”

Lesson Five. John Maxwell notes, “While a good leader sustains momentum, a great leader increases it.” John Maxwell also says, "Momentum solves 80% of your problems. Often, the difference between winning and losing is momentum." Momentum creates confidence. Success is like a snowball. It takes momentum to build, and the more you roll in the right direction, the bigger it gets. Keep moving ahead because action creates momentum, which in turn creates unanticipated opportunities. Unanticipated opportunities are the fruit of momentum. 

Lesson Six. The key to momentum is doing the things that create the momentum you desire. Once momentum starts in the right direction, don't say or do things that impede momentum. In other words, don't create friction that slows the train down or causes reverse friction. Frances Willard once said, “The world is wide, and I will not waste my life in friction when it could be turned into momentum.”  

Now, let's take these six lessons about momentum and apply the lessons. Consider a train. Trains are one of the most efficient and effective forms of transportation in the world. Steel rolling on steel creates very little friction. Once a train has momentum, it takes heaps of friction to slow the train to a stop.

What causes friction from the downward force of gravity to slow a train down?  

The first cause of friction is making and taking curves when you don't need to. Curves slow a train down. Curves create more friction because of centrifugal force. Curves could be poor decisions affecting the direction you’re going. Impulsiveness, people pleasing, lack of good decision-making, destination confusion, relationship issues, and besetting sins cause curves. This type of train track looks like a series of waves. Do you want to speed up? Make a good decision and stick to it. Stay on track. (No pun intended)

The second cause of friction is fighting gravity by going uphill when you don't need to. Let's use a corporate example. Friction is created when management lacks people skills. It’s devaluing small contributions. It’s talking about problems more than progress. It’s focusing on weakness rather than strength. It's controlling rather than releasing. When people need permission for something already delegated to them, they lose momentum. Do the above, and it will be uphill all the way. What’s the solution? Go around the hill. There’s less friction that way. People are gifts with gifts. Inspire them, equip them, and give them quality time. This creates forward momentum.

The third friction type is a lack of intention and attention to applying small energy blasts to keep your momentum going. The engineer is asleep on the job. It still takes one unit of output to create ten units of outcome. The problem is trains can lose momentum so slowly that you don’t even notice you’re slowing down. In a marriage, it’s crucial to make those small blasts of energy like dates, trips, remembering your anniversary, taking the time to talk, and the like, to keep your marriage up to speed. In your career, invest time in learning what is new in your profession. Go to conferences, take a class, read more. Short momentum blasts sustain the momentum for long careers and better marriages.

Here’s your takeaway by Farshad Asl, summing up momentum perfectly. "It takes a leader to create the momentum, it takes a vision to direct the momentum, it takes a massive action to build on the momentum, and it takes self-discipline to sustain the momentum. Momentum is the bridge between vision and results.”

Welcome to the space of ‘Unanticipated Opportunities.’