Written by Annette Densham, Chief Storyteller
Multi-award-winning PR specialist Annette Densham is considered the go-to for all things business storytelling, award submission writing, and assisting business leaders establish themselves as authorities in their field.
Momentum is like the fuel that keeps your business engine running smoothly. Sometimes, things can come and throw a wrench in the works. Ever felt like you're just spinning your wheels instead of moving forward? That's often due to momentum killers.
Loz Antonenko is an accomplished business coach, entrepreneur, and motivational speaker known for her no-nonsense approach to tackling the challenges that come with running a business. With a deep understanding of the dynamics that drive success and failure, Loz knows how to get unstuck. It starts with looking at what is stopping you moving forward and keeping you stuck.
Momentum killers can be anything from complacency and negativity to lack of clarity and external distractions. Recognising and tackling these roadblocks is key to keeping your business on track.
"Before gaining serious momentum, it’s crucial to be aware of potential momentum killers," Loz advises. "Every path has its pitfalls, and you’re going to encounter resistance along the way. Knowing how to identify and deal with problems as they arise is key to both gaining momentum and maintaining what you have already built."
When times get tough, here are some good reminders from Loz:
Momentum’s enemies
"Complacency is the number one enemy of momentum," Loz warns. "Moving forward, making progress, and achieving goals requires hard work. Identifying pain points, setting goals, making detailed plans, and taking action requires effort. This is why settling and staying comfortable can appear much more natural. Nothing is worse than dwelling on the things you should do, so maybe it’s time you stopped ‘shoulding’ all over yourself."
"Culture is enemy number two. Your neighbours and co-workers may say they want to see you succeed and achieve, but they may not mean it! It is a harsh reality, but it is often more convenient for someone to hold you down than to help you up – this is especially true in the workplace. So, stop worrying about other people’s opinions; let them bask in their complacency and envy as you succeed."
Momentum needs maintenance
"Momentum can mean the difference between a spectacular life and a mediocre one," Loz says. "It provides the jet fuel needed to reach your goals. If we don’t take steps to maintain it, we can lose momentum during challenging times. In our moments of suffering, it’s hard to remember that the world doesn’t just stop. During difficult situations, it’s okay to cry, scream, shout, swear, or even be silent – whatever you need. It’s okay to feel a sense of uncertainty. If everything in life were sure and defined all the time, it’d be dull and miserable. You can’t feel the highs without also experiencing the lows. Momentum is about intention, habit, and balance."
Missing out
"FOMO (fear of missing out) and its cousin FOBO (fear of better options) kill momentum as we look around at all the things we think we should and could be doing because everyone else is," Loz explains. "But the next generation of tailored-for-social-media acronyms is ‘JOMO’, or joy of missing out."
"As the antithesis of FOMO, it symbolises relief from the breathless and guilt-laden need to be perennially switched on and continually productive, which emerged in response to ‘hustle culture’ and other widely accepted models of ‘success’. JOMO means proudly living life in the slow lane and deriving pleasure from social exclusion. By intentionally taking a step back, shunning needless overexertion, and unshackling ourselves from what we ‘should’ be doing, fear is traded for joy. We also reclaim our most precious resource: time."
Holding onto certainty
"The universe has an incredible way of counterbalancing energy," Loz says. "Whenever you are down, be assured that it’s not permanent, because something amazingly uplifting is always around the corner if you look for it. Likewise, if you’re riding on a high, in a state of ego, you can guarantee the universe will throw something at you to bring you back down. It's about maintaining a universal equilibrium. Once you surrender to a power more significant than you, you will realise that no person or event ever manifests in your life by accident, and everything happens for a reason. Clichéd but true."
"Our most prominent critics are our most outstanding teachers. Our most challenging times pose our most meaningful accomplishments," she reflects. "In the wise words of Dr John Demartini, ‘Once you see things ‘on the way’ instead of ‘in the way’, you’re set free of the bondage and burden of incomplete and one-sided emotional perspectives.’"
Loz believes the greatest gift we have is our potential. "Can you think of anything more horrifying than taking your last breath in this life, with that potential still locked away inside you because you were too scared of not living up to the expectations of others? It’s up to you to decide how, when, and why you will get your dream life and build the momentum to get there."
Annette Densham, Chief Storyteller Multi-award-winning PR specialist Annette Densham is considered the go-to for all things business storytelling, award submission writing, and assisting business leaders in establishing themselves as authorities in their field. She has shared her insights into storytelling, media, and business across Australia, UK, and the US speaking for Professional Speakers Association, Stevie Awards, Queensland Government, and many more. Three times winner of the Grand Stevie Award for Women in Business, gold Stevie International Business Award, and a finalist in Australian Small Business Champion awards, Annette audaciously challenges anyone in small business to cast aside modesty, embrace their genius and share their stories.
