Why Everyone Needs to Understand The Law of Momentum...
... And how it impacts your life. A snippet from a recap email I sent my client this week.
The law of momentum states that the total momentum of an isolated system remains constant if no external forces act upon it. So how can we apply that law to our wellness? I mean life is one big external force, right?
For me, and what I teach…
The act of self-care is intentional time set aside to become aware of your momentum.
First, you gotta know how you honestly feel about this or that. How you feel is a preview of what’s to come. Now this doesn't mean we should be afraid of our feelings or thoughts because there is a magical in between space where self-care happens. And it is here that you have the power to course correct.
Momentum is directly linked to manifestation - a super popular subject! Sadly though, it’s often sold as a shortcut to get stuff. So you've probably heard folks say... "I'm trying to get some momentum going in _______." Which is a nice way of saying, I’m incredibly frustrated that I don’t have _____ , and I would very much like it to arrive ASAP! If that’s your motivation, then you’re right on track for more frustration. All I’m saying is, there’s more to it than that, and it’s well worth your time to find out what that is.
Here's how I look at it, and how I explain it to my clients.
When I envision 'momentum' in my life, I see myself walking amongst several giant iron balls all rolling alongside me. Each represent a category. Self-mastery is to recognize... Which balls are lagging behind and which ones am I starting to chase?
The categories change. Years ago I labeled them as career, relationship, health... etc. But now, feeling words make more sense like; abundant vs lack or anxious vs confident. Let's bookmark why for now.
Circling back to that recap... My client and I were talking about the negative side effects of being too busy for too long.
A hurried state looks like running frantically alongside a giant ball labeled 'productivity'. With every... "I've gotta get this or that done..." is a push for that ball that's already rolling way too fast. An unsustainable way to be for sure.
Do you know how hurried shows up for you? Do you become irritable, critical, judgmental, impatient, spacey?
We haven't failed. It's simply the nature of energy. Whatever we push will speed up and whatever we ignore will slow down.
An object in motion stays in motion. So in this example, we can take our hand off 'productivity' and it will continue to roll because of the momentum behind it. Now we can give our attention to 'stillness'. But we all know that 'getting a ball rolling' sucks at the beginning. I know I dread even saying the phrase.
Your self-care formula should give you space to recognize that you're doing that self-destructive thing you do… i.e. anxiety, OCD, depression etc. Without a formula, it's damn near impossible to take your hand off that out-of-control ball.
I say this a lot... Balance has nothing to do with time management and everything to do with energy. When there is energetic balance... the person, the relationship, the company.... Thrive. Imbalance creates dis-ease.
So balance would look like walking along at a nice pace for you with ‘productivity’ and ‘stillness’ rolling along beside you. And from time to time you'll give either one a little push because you see that it needs it and continue on your merry way.
Imbalance looks like going from jogging to running to chasing ‘productivity’ while ‘stillness’ lags way behind. You can't run forever so eventually you're forced to stop. Ever had that happen? Then you backtrack to ‘stillness’, and it's super awkward because you've grown accustom to speed. You'll say something like... "What's the point of this stillness? I'm doing nothing - it's stupid!" Then you'll run back to ‘productivity’ and see that it slowed down a bit because people are imperfect. And you will say... "Ugh! I have to do everything around here. I can't trust anyone to get shit done!" I seriously can’t tell you how many times I've heard that exact statement from clients and from myself!
BUT those that have been there countless times before understand - even if just intellectually - how important it is to their livelihood to bring stillness into the fold of productivity. Those folks will see it through, and they will thrive in the end.
Why are feeling words so important? They are a Balance Compass.
You see, we could turn this entire scenario on its head. Stillness is not good and productivity bad. Too much momentum in stillness while not enough in productivity will create imbalance just the same. And it will show up as lethargy, frustration and/or depression.
I mentioned that I used to categorize my big iron balls (... haha... I know my kindred spirits who are laughing at that sentence!) as nouns; health, career, relationship etc.
Here's the thing, and you know this... At the end of your life you won't be laying there happy that you merely climbed the ladder in your career, or got married, or had super svelte abs at one point.
We will not be happy about the shit we did, but rather how we felt about the shit we did.
The impact we made in our work. The joy and love in our home. The feeling of freedom in our bodies. How you do anything is everything.
I find that all of us - at one point or another - struggle with that how.
And that is why I’m here. To help you course correct so that how you do life, feels great! And that is how you know you’re on the right track.
Here are some things you could do ASAP.
The faster you’re moving, the more repulsive it will be to be still. And you got it, the slower you’re going the more repulsive it will be to speed up. So just pump the breaks if you’re going to fast and tap the gas if you’re going too slow. For an easy way to restore balance I refer to my - Things That Bring Me Joy That Take Up Top 1 Hour - list. It doesn’t have to take the full hour but think at least 30 minutes.
So on my list is yoga, hiking, soaking in the tub, lunch at a cafe, taking a nap, reading, swinging with Falcon, dancing with Doug, catching up with my sisters and girlfriends.
Once you have your list, under each thing jot down why you love it so much. Like what it does for you.
For example I love yoga because it feels good to heal my aches and pains. When I hike I’m present with God. A soak in the tub especially with salts and oils calms my muscles and mind. I feel pampered taking myself to lunch. I love a nap because I feel empowered honoring my needs. Reading makes me feel smart. Playing with Falcon reminds me how much I love being his mom. Dancing with Doug takes me back to our dating years. Catching up with my sisters brings me back home. And friendships remind me how abundant my life is.
Again, it’s not what you do, but how you do it.
Much love,
Jayme
P.S. If you’re ready to be one of my clients giving their life a big upgrade, click here.
P.P.S. Listen, I know that collectively we are in a shit storm. But that doesn’t mean your personal life should be one too. In fact, the only way we all come out of this in one piece is to be extra diligent now more than with our self-care formula. When we do this we can enter the arena with clarity, focus and resilience. Deflect the nonsense and stay steady.
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