The Magic of Momentum: Escape Any Rut. Build Winning Streaks. Use Forward Motion to Change the Trajectory of Your Life. by Stephen Guise
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Self-Help
Length: 244 pages
The Magic of Momentum is my introduction to Stephen Guise and his self-help books, and it did not disappoint. It focuses on a new angle to achieving success in any area of life, and that is building and sustaining momentum. Want big results? Start small and sustainable. Guise explains why this approach is preferrable to creating overly ambitious goals that often go unmet because they require constant discipline and willpower, two things that are bound to fail on our worst days. Instead, if we concentrate on building positive momentum in the short term, by showing up each day and overcoming resistance, we can then create long-term momentum, which leads to lasting results. In Part 1, he explains the four principles of human momentum and in Part 2 he gives the reader strategies to reverse negative momentum, and create and sustain positive momentum.
Included in these strategies is helpful mindsets, and my favorite is: “Be a consistent starter. A failure to finish is unequivocally a failure to start again. It’s more helpful to focus on being a continuous starter because starting is actionable and it always results in finishing, so long as you start as much as necessary until the job is done.” I love this insight and plan to adopt it, as well as his crucial ideas to set a goal that is doable and achievable (the 1 push-up a day versus 100 pushups in 30 days) and that small steps forward everyday creates the momentum we need to achieve, versus rigid, big actions that are derailed once our motivation or willpower leave us.
This book is packed with wisdom and practical advice, if a bit wordy at times. It is completely worth the read though, and I also plan on reading his some of his other books, in particular, Mini Habits for Weight Loss: Stop Dieting. Form New Habits. Change Your Lifestyle Without Suffering to glean more of insightful approach to life.
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I’m wondering if this could help me finish painting the inside of my house. I’m about half way through and my drive has stalled out. It’s only a 1,000 sq ft house and it’s been 4 months.
Ugh! We are painting this weekend, just my daughter’s room and are already over it! I don’t know if anything can inspire painting motivation!! 💛🌟
Good to know I’m not alone.
That sounds such a good book. I’ve just watched a top fitness coach talk about always aiming for small steps. Small steps can happen consistently, the big ones are great but they just don’t tend to work out that many times. x
It is a great read. I’m focusing on small, consistent steps. That’s how big things happen! 🌟💛