Poet Maggie Smith has a great IG feed.
Her poems are posted as memes that encourage, inspire, and often ignite our wayward souls. My favorite part about these posts is how each one closes – two words:
This idea of moving – even when we don’t want to – is what I call momentum.
Recently, I have struggled to gain traction in my career. I constantly find myself reacting to whatever fire is the most pressing that day. Philosopher Charles Pepin states “everything is urgent, but not everything is important” – another lesson to write about later. But, for now I like to think about how I can shift from reacting to “urgent” matters to planning and being more pro-active about my profession/ my life. But, to be pro-active requires goals and foresight – ambition and actionable steps. This commitment to daily improvement and long-term growth is what I would call development. The act of building a team of supporters and champions is what I call momentum.
Develop the momentum.
Here’s how I have found success developing momentum :
1. Interview your friends – nothing makes us feel more human than sharing our struggles with someone in a similar creative field. I have learned so much from friends in related professions – Landscape Architecture, Planning, Marketing, Advertising, Teaching, Finance, IT and even the FBI. All I have to do is ask good questions. Be specific. How do they handle a tough boss, how do they balance work and home, marriage and kids, how do they create margin, stay inspired, avoid career drift. Simple questions almost always yield a renewed spirit and more hopeful perspective.
2. (re) Read timeless wisdom– maybe obvious and I know people often poke at the “self-help” books ( I prefer personal growth) , however I think there is a lot of quality material that has stood the test of time. Whether its Solomon (Proverbs) Carnegie (How to Win Friends…) or even your favorite poet/writer (Berry/ Oliver/ Rilke/ Lamott) These authors understand we get down and we need a boost. Maybe reading a perspective of finding purpose in a dark time charges you again. Maybe some words written long ago speak to your soul and spark something inside. This wisdom endures for a reason.
3. List your strengths – I review my strengths constantly – as a dad, as a husband, as an architect, as a friend. I am confident after all this time that I know what I am good at: drawing, communicating, believing, inspiring, engaging, yearning, aiming, striving, empathizing, activating, serving, laughing, sharing, collaborating, etc. Might seem pretentious to list them out, but I find a lot of encouragement when reading every adjective I would use to define myself. Thinking about every way God has gifted me and think about how I can help other people with those gifts. Look at this often and especially on bad days – remember you are beautifully and wonderfully made.
4. Make an encouragement folder/ keep track of wins – I need a lot of encouragement and recognition. Without it I become full of doubt and amazingly critical. However, I cannot expect our office leadership, my wife, or my friends to constantly pat me on the back. So I started saving encouraging emails. These could be from friends/ family/ work…anything and file them in a email folder. Then when I have having a lousy day – I read a few. I remind yourself that others value me and more importantly my value extends beyond workplace. Once again, I reminder to myself – that I am enough, I am loved.
5. Encourage others – this one is counter-intuitive, but if you fill someone up you start to develop momentum. Your investment in others reminds you of your place in the world and your power to elevate the human condition. We have the opportunity to step into people’s circumstances and illuminate the good in their life. What a tremendous responsibility! And the most amazing part is that this need is all around us. Think about what would happen if you started to notice other people more, especially their needs? Maybe you become the person who notices when co-workers go above and beyond. Maybe you become the person who buys coffee during a deadline. Maybe you see someone on a deadline and bring them lunch. These small acts allow us to step out of our selfishness and into serving humanity. We could be the people whom inspire people. It just takes time and attention – like the great Mary Oliver says “attention is the beginning of devotion”.
6. Record lessons – our toughest weeks are draining, exhausting, and overwhelming. We get pressed and pushed and driven to meet every deadline, client and family need. In the midst of all of this is abundant lessons (see blog post 1) where there is always something to learn – even if its what not to do. Record your lessons in a small flexible book and try to write in it 1x a week. That’s 52 bits of wisdom a year – think about how much you could collect just by living life. Some lessons are learned from a job site or lessons learned by arriving late at home. Both are wisdom to learn from and carry forward. We live in a time where people constantly seek answers and are always seeking wisdom. We would be well-served to look into our own repository of life experiences – both good or bad – and reflect on how we might behave differently and how we could live a better way.
7. Find a mentor – this is an important one. A mentor is a mysterious combination of coach, grandparent, and friend. They are full of generosity and wisdom and passion. These are the people we hope to be someday so in the meantime we all need to find folks to push us to be better. Who give great advice because they have lived exactly (or close) what you are going through. Don’t have a mentor yet? Try this exercise – make a list of 5 people that inspire you – professionally, personally, relationally, spiritually, financially – whatever – five people. Then ask yourself how much time you spend with each of them. If you don’t know them – write them and tell them you want to learn more about how they do life. Trust me – they will call back. If it is someone you see occasionally, make an effort to see them consistently. Have a 1x/ week group, a 1x/month call, and a quarterly check-in with people committed to your success. Nothing I can think of develops more momentum than this sphere of influence.