Week 8: My thoughts on Momentum (Free)
What is it? How do I attain it? How do I maintain it?
Everyone has access to this Premium blog. If you like what you see, consider subscribing!
This edition has the following sections:
Learning: It Takes What It Takes
Adding Value: My Thoughts on Momentum
Florida Markets: Florida Market
Interesting things: Tweets
Other Stuff: Offering Memorandum Template
Enjoy!
Learning:
It Takes What It Takes
I think this book is a good addition since I’m writing about momentum in this edition. The main message of this book is that of “neutral thinking.” The main idea behind neutral thinking is this: focusing on the immediate action needed instead of dwelling on emotions or past failures. An example of this frequently occurs in high-pressure situations like sports or challenging personal circumstances; the book suggests asking, "What do I do?" instead of "How do I feel?" When you peel back the layers, this is a simple task, but often, as entrepreneurs, athletes, and high-level people, our minds play tricks on us, and we add a lot more complexity to otherwise simple problems. I think back to the tough times that I’ve gone through, and my lack of neutral thinking often makes my issues seem worse than they are. It all comes down to “Present Moment Focus,” or PMF. If we can be aware of when we lose our PMF and get back on it, we will be much more effective in virtually any situation.
Adding Value: My Thoughts on Momentum
I've pondered the last few weeks and how great they've been. My health has been better, we've been doing some cool stuff in our business, and I'm spending lots of quality time with loved ones. It's almost too good to be true. The truth of the matter is that life has cycles. This good time will not last forever, and I'm experiencing a bit of momentum right now.
Momentum is a loaded word. Some people refer to it as "the zone." Everything is going smoothly, and you're riding a wave. Momentum is that one thing that you can never have too much of.
Momentum is not something you can create; it will just happen. However, I firmly believe that you can extend the time you experience momentum and shorten the time you're out of it by putting yourself in positions where you can catch the momentum wave.
Lessons From Baseball
A big lesson for me with momentum was during my time playing baseball. The more consistent I became with my preparation and routine before games, the more consistently I could catch a hot streak. Many of my teammates would catch momentum randomly, and it would disappear just as randomly. This is because they only saw momentum when everything was clicking by chance. I tried to make sure that everything was clicking every day.
Consistent Maintenance is Key
Think about two cars in a race. One car has received maintenance sporadically, and the other receives consistent maintenance. On the first day, they race on a perfect road, so both vehicles perform well and tie in this race. The second day, they run on a damaged, bumpy road. Without proper maintenance, the first car does not handle the track well and loses.
In contrast, the second car runs seamlessly because it is ready for any terrain. The main idea here is that if you're consistent with your actions, you will also be consistent with your results. This includes gaining momentum.
Strategies for Sustaining Momentum
Aside from consistency, other practices can help you extend the time you're in momentum.
Anticipation
When we're being proactive and are attacking problems head-on, we are less likely to be blindsided by issues that can bring momentum to a halt.
When I played ball, if I waited for the ball to come to me or reacted to the ball, I would miss it. I succeeded the most when I was aggressive, predicted what the ball would do, and attacked it. In business, dealing with current issues directly and quickly keeps my team moving. Sometimes, you anticipate wrong, but you're already in motion and can adjust faster when that happens.
Simplifying Complexities
Complex situations kill momentum. Sometimes, you can't help but stumble across them (especially if you're in a demanding profession where it requires breakthroughs to solve problems). The important thing is that while we can't control complexity, we want to avoid adding to it. Oftentimes, we make situations more complex than they are. It's essential to break things down into first principles when they get tricky. What primary variables constitute that situation, and how can we move them around to solve the problem?
Most people are in the boat of adding complexity to non-complex matters. I did this frequently when I played baseball. If I had a bad game, I would make the situation complex by turning it into "I'm not good enough" instead of seeing it from the first principles of "Today, I didn't hit the ball well." KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) is a good principle. Don't complicate things; you will maximize your chances of staying in momentum.
Clarifying Purpose
As time passes and you're in momentum, sometimes you lose clarity of your actions. We get bored, complacent, or unaware of what we're doing. Momentum is largely unconscious, but you know exactly what to do in it. Even after it wears off, it's essential to maintain the focus of your vision.
I am running into this issue right now. I have all these ideas between my software and construction projects, and I'm trying to make them come together in this grand vision. The problem is that the vision is sometimes broad, so it can feel like I'm shooting darts at a board to figure out what's next. Reeling it back in and narrowing my vision at these times is an excellent way of keeping the momentum going. That is what I intend to do.
What is Momentum?
To me, momentum means you do everything you want and are happy doing it. Think of a time that you've been in the zone and you're unhappy. You probably can't because you're so focused on the present moment while you're in that state. Happiness comes when you're doing what you want, when you want, with who you like. While not permanent, we should continually try to get to momentum, not as an endless chase but as a lifestyle where you do your best to be happy. Where you're attacking life, adding value, and along the way, riding the wave that comes when everything falls into place.
Florida Markets
Here are some things happening in the Florida Real Estate Market that I’ve read throughout the week (the link is in the title):
Study finds glimmer of hope in Florida’s battered housing market
This week, the Florida real estate market has shown some exciting developments. A recent study highlighted by the Business Observer found a glimmer of hope in the state's housing market, with Florida ranking among the top states for home building. According to data, for every 1,000 residents in Florida, approximately 9.8 homes are being developed, placing the state third behind Utah and Idaho. This high home construction rate is driven by the demand for housing that continues post-pandemic, positioning Florida as a leader in new home developments in the country.
Wall Street Sees a Solid Year for Homebuilders
In 2023, the U.S. housing market witnessed a 4.2% increase in new home sales, contrasting with a significant slump in existing home sales, which fell by about 19%. Moody's anticipates a 5% growth in recent home sales in 2024, supported by millennial solid demand and a robust job market, with projections suggesting a decline in mortgage rates to around 6.4% by year-end.
Interesting Things
Bookmarked Posts (Click on the pictures to go to post)
Other Stuff
Here is a PowerPoint that I used to send to Investors a few years ago. I’ve since adjusted my deck to include our new offerings. For those starting, feel free to duplicate it and make it yours!
Edit and copy this link to create your own
Until next week!