“Momentum”
The term “momentum” is often used in sports. For example, in football, if the team is doing poorly in the first half, but then they score a touchdown and perhaps make a great defensive play, they start to do better. They gain momentum.
Momentum is also associated with recovering from a physical illness like the flu. Gradually symptoms subside and there is an opportunity to feel better rather quickly. When this momentum takes hold, life can get much better.
The term momentum is especially true when it comes to mental health challenges. Life can be very difficult and seemingly there is no hope. Then circumstances arise that provide opportunities that allow for recovery. For example, fifty years ago, I was trapped in a state institution. Back then patients couldn’t be discharged unless they had a place to go. The process could take a very long time. Anyway, for me, when a Christian couple visited me and then took me in, I started to recover quickly. I had the right circumstances and then the opportunity to recovery for a while. I had gained momentum.
This opportunity to experience momentum occurred again when I was living in a halfway house and working as a client in a sheltered workshop. One the counselors there helped me get a full scholarship to finish my last semester of college. I was given the opportunity to succeed, so momentum made it possible for me to finish school.
The most important set of circumstance that created opportunities for me occurred when I met my wife, Donna forty-seven years ago. With her support and companionship, I have been able to succeed. This has helped me to consistently gain momentum when I’m struggling with my health.
However, momentum can happen in less obvious ways. It’s almost impossible to explain, but when depression drags me down, and I feel there is no consolation, a sliver of hope occurs from which I can gain momentum for recovery. Perhaps the best way to explain it is through my poem called “Momentum.” In it I describe the feeling of hopelessness that occurs when sadness takes hold. However, I also explain how under the right circumstances, momentum can occur. Here’s the poem.
Momentum
Awake until dawn
and then I sleep all day long.
In a wasteland of darkness,
I’m frightened and broken.
While stuck in the mire
I’m forsaken and silent.
Lost with no map
I’m squeezed into the trap.
It’s the saddest of songs
when all hope is gone.
Once again, depression sets in.
Then, a glimmer of light
breaks through in the mind.
A crack the rock
may soon break it apart.
The door now ajar
brings the promise of more.
The stagnant beliefs
begin to recede.
Now, life has a chance
and the nothing is left.
Hope leads to faith
and night becomes day.
Then, once again, momentum begins.
It’s important to note that sometimes circumstance and opportunities do not arise for quite some time. When this happens, it can be very difficult to gain momentum. Yet, even when someone almost gives up, if they make an effort anyway, things can still change for the better.
In my presentations, I sometimes talk about momentum that arises when there seem to be no hope at times. With perseverance and determination, opportunities for recovery can appear, even if it isn’t obvious. Then, when an opportunity does happen, hard work can lead to momentum.
Thanks for reading my newsletter. This helps give me to have a sense of purpose and means a lot to me. Have a great day and I’ll see you next time.
(Please remember these are my own ideas, and I’m not attempting to persuade anyone to change theirs.)
Quotes:
“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you don’t stop.” – Confucius
“The most important thing you can do to achieve your goals is to make sure that as soon as you set them, you immediately begin to create momentum.” – Tony Robbins
“Consciousness is only possible through change; change is only possible through movement.” – Aldous Huxley
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