We hear a lot about momentum.  As the fervor of the election begins to subside (debatable by some) I frequently recall the media discussing momentum.  Hillary started with momentum, Trump finished with momentum.  What exactly does this mean?  We hear about it in sports, politics, life, physics, outer-space, everywhere.  Golden State had huge momentum but lost it, the Cubs gained massive momentum after falling flat.  What is this invisible force that seems to make or break an outcome no matter what we may be observing?

 I suppose I could start with Newton’s definition:  an object at rest stays at rest or object in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by some external force.  But let’s be honest, what does that even mean when we are talking about something intangible?  I’m sure we’ve all seen the video where the tiny little domino starts off the chain reaction of all the rest, one by one falling over in specific rat-a-tat-tat cadence.  Slowly and incrementally the size of the dominoes get bigger until the final domino, something akin to giant wall topples; a grand finale!  At least we can visualize that; we can vaguely grasp that the exponential force of the falling dominos rising in crescendo equates to the massive one falling over.  How does this translate into sports, life, or mindset?    Momentum, such a mystical thing.

 Whether you choose to believe in it or not, it is a very real thing.  I liken it to gravity.  Gravity doesn’t give a damn whether or not you believe in it, it’s going to pull your ass back to Mother Earth regardless.  Same with momentum.  An avalanche doesn’t occur by a single snowflake falling on the mountain.  It occurs when billions upon billions of tiny snowflakes accumulate to critical mass and unleash the collective power!  Once you understand the power of momentum then you can begin to harness it.

 So how do you harness your personal momentum?  Well, how do you finish a marathon?  One step at a time; one foot in front of the other.  You see, personal momentum is gained and maintained through your state of mind and each seemingly small, insignificant victory adds to the collective power waiting to be unleashed.  Think of it as a coiled spring.  Every single personal victory, regardless of how menial it may seem tightens that spring ever so slightly.  This is how teams come back from insurmountable odds.  As a spectator you can feel it, you don’t quite know, but you feel it…I call it the magic!  One blocked shot, one turnover, one 4th Down conversion, one big hit, there is nothing more RAW and REAL than the moment the momentum shifts.  And EVERYBODY knows it, you can’t see it, you just KNOW it!  Personal momentum boils down to FAITH, faith in yourself so much so that you BELIEVE.  And when you BELIEVE, you ACHIEVE.  That one more rep, that one second faster or that one second longer.  The path to whatever you wish to accomplish begins and ends in your mind, so seize your victories!  Celebrate when everyone else laughs at you and build your personal momentum because on the other side of every little victory is a SUPER NOVA of your potential.  Seize it, own it, do it!!