Author: Mark S. Brown

Creating Positive Momentum

As my friend John Maxwell has written, “Momentum is a leader’s best friend”. Positive momentum makes everything easier. Negative momentum makes everything more difficult.

So when we are faced with slowing momentum or even negative momentum, we need to focus some energy to get things moving again. Here are some ideas that I use.

1. Find a small win. Take advantage of some small wins to get yourself moving in the right direction. It helps you pick up speed.

2. Review your bigger goal, and set interim milestones to achieve. Define a goal that you can achieve now, this week. Then set one for next week. Then the week after. Achieve those goals every week and you will find your momentum building towards the bigger goal.

3. Find new support or resources. If you are working within a team, swap some members with another team. Add talent or ideas to rejuvenate the team’s passion  by finding a new spark in additional team members or other types of support.

4. Increase your learning effort. Getting stuck can sometimes be triggered by not having enough knowledge, or by being reluctant to act on the knowledge you have. Which is affecting you? Figure it out and then move past this stumbling block.

5. Find and reflect on the positives. Momentum slows when your team is challenged and you feel like you are not making progress. Make it a regular habit to celebrate the achievements. It can be the fuel that keeps your team moving.

Momentum is your friend. When you can harness the energy, everything becomes easier.

Why Are Things So Complex?

Life has a way of becoming complicated, and it is only through great effort that we can keep it simple. How do you keep things simple?

Lao Tzu has said, “In dwelling, live close to the ground. In thinking, keep to the simple. In conflict, be fair and generous. In governing, don’t try to control. In work, do what you enjoy. In family life, be completely present.”

I think much of life’s complexity resides in our mind. It is the thinking process that creates a list of “what if” scenarios and creates complexity in our decisions. Some people struggle making decisions when the projected outcome is not clear. It is the unknown that also adds to complexity. So what can we do to keep it simple?

Know yourself. Know your values. Know your priorities. Know your goals. Don’t let perfect get in the way of better. Be willing to make mistakes. Be willing to learn from your experiences. Be bold.

Keeping things simple is not easy. It takes work. But the result is usually more clarity.

This Too Will Pass

Nothing in life lasts forever, and with time, all things change. Do you feel like your life is in an unhappy state? Are you stuck in a rut? It will pass! Sadly, this also applies to the good times as well. All will fade with time.

We should have plans and goals, but we can be assured that life rarely follows the best laid plans. Learning to face the ups and downs with a positive attitude can help smooth our path. Today’s challenges will only be history tomorrow.

We can’t control all the factors that affect us each day, so what can we control? We can learn to maximize the sweet times and minimize the sour ones.

Are You Able to Focus on Your Goals?

“Concentration is the ability to think of absolutely nothing when it is absolutely necessary. “– Ray Knight


Today, focus your energy, clear your head, and achieve!

Now is the time for just one thing–Focus on your goal. Calm your mind. Quiet all of the distractions surrounding you. Concentrate on the one task at hand.

What in your life distracts you? In the moment of need, silence your brain and allow yourself to stay focused. Save your worries about tomorrow and guilt over yesterday’s failures for another time. Maybe you need to meditate, pray, or simply spend a few moments quietly gathering yourself before tackling the project at hand. Now is the time for just one thing–reaching your goal.

It is amazing what a little bit of focus can achieve when you need to get something done. Make today the day that you can achieve something you have been working on for a long time.