Momentum is a privilege

Author’s note: Welcome to Edition 09. I write about the importance of achieving momentum and never letting it go in personal pursuits. Please lmk your thoughts about this essay. I also write a second newsletter with in-depth commentary on how new-age Indian businesses make money (Newsletter link here).

You always have one last move in your quiver after you have exhausted all avenues. Make it and give yourself an opportunity for another move. A flurry of these moves and you have momentum. Once you have momentum, you have a tailwind that will never let up if you keep making a move.

Momentum is prized as a differentiator for startups vis a vis incumbent businesses. It is the lifeblood that fuels businesses born with a high fatality rate. It is just as significant for your life. Once you make progress, you only want to add to it.

You cannot hold back because you fear regression to your past. The fear is accurate and it can only be fought by inching forward step by step. Progress compounds and snowballs into meaningful momentum. This momentum can build the life of your dreams if you try hard enough over a prolonged period of time.

Kobe Bryant shot 4 airballs in the closing moments of the Western Conference playoffs in his debut NBA season. He had a fantastic debut season up until that point. Kobe did not allow fear to interfere with his ascension as a NBA Hall of Famer and focused on getting stronger so he would never falter in the same way.

It is easier to tackle missteps when you have momentum. This gives you optionality to choose a different path and still get to your goal albeit through a convoluted hellscape. Conversely, flagging momentum throws up more obstacles along your way. When you stumble and lack momentum, it is easy to feel disheartened and turn back. You see greater obstacles in the distance and slow progress makes you forfeit your ability to advance.

You cannot quantify momentum but its impact is real and it is life-changing. It can elevate your life if you keep building larger flywheels and evolve faster than everyone else. Momentum forces you to step up before you’re ready. You will make it or you will fall flat on your face.  

If you hit pause and seek out a sustainable pace, you risk losing momentum. This can be crippling and can end your dreams before you even fully visualise them. Once lost, it is doubly hard to recapture. It will take a different strategy because you have evolved and so have other contestants in the game.

Embrace momentum once you have stumbled upon it and never let go. You will move at a blinding pace and achieve goals years in advance. This success will invite a higher probability of failure. Overcome the odds with the tailwind of momentum. Nothing favours you till you make it. Go.