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Abundant Mind #013

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Read Time: 7 minutes

Hey bud,

Have you ever taken a break from work only to find it difficult to get into the groove of things once again?

Maybe, just like me, you’re coming back from vacation. Or maybe you just took a sabbatical from work to clear your head.

But the initial resistance once you decide to start working again can get frustrating.

(If you don’t experience this — and you’re one of the more advantaged ones who can dive straight into work, full steam ahead — then this issue may not be for you.)

In this week’s newsletter, I’ll be sharing some ideas that I’ve come across on regaining momentum.

I’ll be writing in the context of work and productivity but these ideas also apply to other areas like health and wellness.

But first, let’s explore how I got here.

7 Day Singapore Trip

On the 21st of July (Friday), Bea — my wife — and I flew to Singapore for a holiday/work trip.

It was mainly for her job as she was invited to host one of her company’s events which was happening there.

She was also assigned to lead one of the marketing projects of the firm which they were filming in their Singapore office.

(Yes, I am a proud husband.)

Her official duties started on the Monday after our flight until Thursday of that week.

So from when we arrived on Friday, until Sunday, we took advantage of our time and explored parts of the country.

We hunted for local cuisine, went to Universal Studios, and even visited the Van Gogh Immersive Experience in Sentosa.

We had the time of our lives!

Come Monday, Bea’s days were filled with work at their Singapore office, and I was left to explore on my own.

You see, for me, this was a 7 day holiday.

I was able to meet up with my friends who lived there (shoutout to you, Enzo and Danni), do some shopping, and bike around Marina Bay in the mornings.

The day before our flight back home, I had a lot of free time and so I decided to get a bit of work in.

I set up my iPad, put on some ambient music, and sat down to begin.

And then, to my surprise, I felt stuck.

I didn’t have the will to work.

I thought of all the things that I usually do on a work day, and it overwhelmed me.

I was puzzled because the day before we flew to Singapore, it felt so easy to start working and accomplish a lot in a day.

Now, I felt the mental strain just thinking about what I needed to do.

That’s when I realized. I’ve lost momentum.

So, throughout the next few days, in an effort to regain that stride once again, I looked for answers and found a few that I’d like to share with you.

Here are 3 ideas I’ve found on losing momentum, and how to regain it:

1. Everything in Life Needs Attention

I was watching a video by Patrick Bet David on his Valuetainment channel on Youtube.

He said in that video that in his life he’s lost great relationships, money, and momentum in business in his early 20s.

The simplest way he processes that is “—everything in life needs attention. And if you don’t give it attention you lose it. Everything requires attention.” 

He simplified it in this way:

If you have momentum in your marriage right now, and you think that momentum is going to carry your marriage permanently until forever, and you stop giving it attention — you’re going to lose momentum in your marriage.

If you’ve been on top of your skincare routine and you love the way your skin looks right now, and you don’t give your skin any more attention — you’re going to have bad skin again.

If you’ve released weight and you like the way you look right now because you’ve taken care of your body and you feel good, and you stop giving attention to your diet and exercise — you’re going to gain weight again.

Everything in life needs attention.

I learned here that life is all about giving attention to things that matter to you.

And maybe the reason I lost momentum in terms of work is because for the past 6 days from when I sat down to work, I haven’t given much attention to it.

Then no wonder I was having a hard time restarting work.

Now I have a better understanding of WHY I lost momentum.

After learning this, I decided to give intentional attention to my work so that I can regain that stride I once had.

(If you want to watch the video I mentioned in this section, you can find it here)

So I ask you, my friend:

What is something that matters to you that you haven’t given much attention to?

Something to think about.

Leave it as a reply or as a comment on this newsletter.

2. The Value Of Revisiting Goals

There is value in having a set of clear and meaningful goals in writing.

Why?

Because we are swept away by life from time to time and we tend to forget the goals that we have for our lives.

You see, our brains are not meant to store ideas but to have them. Write things down.

One of the ways I started to give intentional attention to my work is to begin with the end in mind.

“What was the goal I had for my work again in 20 years, in 3 years, in 1 year, in 3 months?” I asked myself.

“Why is that important to me again?” I reminded myself.

By pondering on these questions and immersing myself again in my set of written goals, I started to feel that spark of inspiration once again.

(If you would like to see how I personally set goals, I talked about it in one of my previous newsletters here)

3. Set Yourself Up To Win Through Clear Processes

One of the things that is helping me regain momentum as I’m writing this newsletter is being clear on what my process for work is.

“What is the first step that I have to take?”

“What is the next one after that?”

“And after that?”

This is one of the things I worked on the day before our flight home from Singapore.

I realized that I never wrote down a clear step by step process for my daily work.

As someone who is building a business through writing and content, I kind of just went along with what the next logical step felt like.

As long as it was bringing me a small step closer to my goals, it was all good.

However, that only worked when I had momentum.

Now that I’m somewhat re-starting the process after a week’s break, I needed clarity on the exact process to get the ball rolling.

I don’t have to know ALL the steps per se, but I need to at least just have awareness and clarity on the first few ones.

The path becomes clearer as you take the first steps.

(I talked about the value of this idea in the previous newsletter article. You can read it here)

But here is the most important idea from this section:

If you are trying to regain momentum, just focus on the first step — for now.

You WILL gain momentum over time.

Just take it one day at a time.

As Martin Luther King Jr. said:

In Conclusion

As of writing this newsletter, it’s only been 2 days since Bea and I arrived back home from Singapore.

I wouldn’t say that I’m already back at the same level of momentum I once had before flying out; but I’m definitely at a better place now than I was just a few days ago.

I’m slowly starting to find my stride because of the ideas I shared with you here.

I am also happy that this new “problem” I’ve been solving has brought me some insights that I can use in my own life which I am also able to share with you.

So, I’ll leave you with this perspective:

If you are facing a certain set of problems right now, maybe you are experiencing them so that you can find the solutions for yourself.

With the solutions you find you will have the capacity to be of help to others who may be experiencing the same problems you once had.

By solving your own problems and then helping others solve their problems with the solutions you find, you are on the path to living a fulfilling life.

And always remember, that you deserve that.

Talk soon,

Zach

P.S. Whenever you are ready, there are 2 ways that I can be of help to you:

1. Follow me on Instagram here if you want a source of bite-sized ideas and content that can help you reach your next level in life.

2. Book a discovery call for one-on-one coaching here if you are an entrepreneur or sales professional currently looking to create solutions to a problem or challenge in your life but you seem to be stuck.