1-888-353-5012There’s something magical about how I feel this time of year: like I can transform myself into a totally new person. I have a newfound energy. An impenetrable, positive outlook. I wrap up big projects, clean up odds and ends, and after months of feeling sluggish and weighed down, I suddenly develop clear ideas and a powerful focus on exactly what I need to tackle to get results.
It’s a great feeling and I’m ashamed to say it’s temporary. By March, the clarity fades and I find myself weighed down in the day to day, the low value activities that distract from progress. So I find myself asking, how can I bottle up this feeling… the optimism, the focus, the drive… and hold onto it?
I recently listened to an interview with an entrepreneur who has started over 80 businesses in his lifetime. Not brick and mortar businesses, but many viable and innovative businesses that generate a LOT of revenue. He made a lot of interesting points, but one message really stuck with me: while focus is great, momentum is KING.
While I’m often overcome with the need to fix everything, that’s also risky. Because the fastest way to stall momentum isn’t lack of ideas, it’s getting stuck trying to make the perfect move. And I’m not talking about being a perfectionist, I’m talking about becoming stalled in action.
At the Platinum Elite Meeting this year, our founder Rory Fatt talked about paralysis by analysis. You spend so much time thinking, planning, researching, and tweaking that you never actually take action. You’re not stuck because you don’t care, you’re stuck because you’re trying to make the perfect (or just the best) first move. And amidst all this, nothing moves forward.
Most small Business Owners don’t struggle with motivation, they struggle with having too much to manage and too many decisions to make. When everything feels important, it’s easy to overthink the next move. You delay launching because it’s not quite ready. You keep revising a new service or item or process. You want to “just tweak one more thing” before you roll it out or move to the next step. And when you pair that with the constant distractions and daily demands of running a small business, it can become one of the most expensive habits an Owner can have. Because momentum doesn’t come from having flawless plans. It comes from movement.
Chances are, you’ve seen this device before… even if you didn’t know its name. A Newton’s Cradle is a perfect illustration of how momentum works: one small action transfers motion through the entire system. And nothing happens until the first ball moves.
One of the biggest misconceptions in business is believing you need a full roadmap before you start. You don’t. You only need your next move. Small steps are easier to start. Easier to test. Easier to repeat. And they energize your team. When they see progress, even in small ways, their confidence grows. Engagement improves. Ownership increases. Momentum is contagious. And it starts at the top, with you.
A Challenge:
As you move further into this new year, and the glossy shine of it starts to fade, stop trying to find the perfect solution, and instead focus on the next small, meaningful step you can take right now.
What is one small change that would really improve your customer or staff experience this month? (I don’t mean a full overhaul, just one meaningful step.)
Where is there friction, delay, or confusion that everyone has learned to tolerate but shouldn’t have to? (What SMALL thing can you do to make it better?)
What’s one process, decision, or task that could be simplified to save time and mental energy every single week? (What can YOU hand off?)
These aren’t massive overhauls. They’re small wins that stack. You’re not stuck. You’re not lazy. You need motion. And once momentum starts…everything gets easier.
