Momentum is hard to maintain.

When one hits age 20, what is to sustain one forward, to be the fuel, to keep life meaningful and great? And how about age 25, or later? Can we prevent our creative imagination from disappearing, and recapture or maintain half of our childlike enthusiasm and firepower?

Yes. We can not only capture momentum, but we can also strategically increase its potency beyond that which we found in our childhood.

#1 Habit and Discipline. There needs to exist a foundation that stretches across our lives that serves as a cape or a blanket: a reminder of who we are and where we’re going. It unifies us and provides continuity between the previous moment and this one, as momentum fundamentally requires maintenance over time. That foundation is produced by habit. It could be waking up to play basketball every day or going to Sunday Mass; journaling consistently or daily reflection. Schedule, ritual, and structure build consistency, the perfect environment for habit and thus momentum to be created.

#2 “Make the good times great, so that the bad times will be bearable.” As part of a reflection when I recorded my speaking to myself¹, I noted that, when presented with a good moment, I would exploit it to the fullest and make it as great as possible. That way, when I was in the dumps, I could use that former glory to ameliorate the current negative conditions. While momentum commands steadiness, this does not mean excellent moments should be blunted to keep life’s movements within a certain range.

#3 Subduct strategically. Sometimes, instead of focusing on a frustrating entity or idea, it is best to snatch its context (i.e. framework) and optimize it, making it the end. Meanwhile, the idea, usually an end, becomes a means. I call it “strategic subduction” because you are dragging a higher-level concept down below its framework. For example, if I want to advance my understanding of group theory, I may focus on setting up my workspace, so my math becomes a component that functions on the workspace: the environment is now the end, and the idea is the means. In other words, my mathematical knowledge gain is the reflection of how well I optimized my workspace.

#4 Keep great company. They say we’re the average of the 5 people we spend the most time around. If we want our cherished momentum to continue, we should put them in the presence of those who will allow such ambitions to grow. Otto von Bismarck said “Avoid people who try to diminish your ambitions.” It takes two to form a synergistic pair whose members ascend each other higher and higher, as a twin spiral. Naturally, we have more than one associate in life, so we have much to gain if we choose correctly!

Footnotes

¹ See my article "Dichotomy of Self", 4th paragraph for more details.