Happy New Momentum

~ livelytwist

Momentum

Momentum:

  • the strength or force that allows something to continue or to grow stronger or faster as time passes
  • The impetus gained by a moving object
  • The impetus and driving force gained by the development of a process or course of events

 

1.

About 300 metres to the junction, the traffic light changes to green so I do not need to stop. I cruise past the cars queued on the right lane, which are rousing from varied states of slumber. I do not remove my foot from the gas pedal on my way home, save once. My confidence grows at each succeeding intersection; red does not faze me. It is that kind of day; every light turns green as if anticipating my approach. “It’s a sign,” I say to myself, “So this is what momentum looks like?”

 

2.

Traffic on Tuesday is unexpected. That cars on the slow lane crawl faster than cars on the speed lane bemuses me. I am undecided as to where I should be. I fix my lipstick and smack my lips using my sun visor mirror. The man in the car on my right smiles at me. I smile back and ease my Toyota in front of his Nissan. Life can be as easy as changing lanes. At every crossroad in my life, someone on the ‘fast’ lane has allowed me cut in ahead of him. Riding on their momentum, I arrived at my destination faster than I otherwise would have. Later, I look at the rear-view mirror and my eyes collide with a strange pair. It is as if the man who made room for me was never there.

 

3.

When I receive a notification from WordPress that my stats are booming, I am surprised. On Saturday, even I rarely visit my blog because it is a distraction from the business of writing. Facebook is the culprit sending viewers my way. It happened that an acquaintance stumbled on a story on my blog and shared it with her friend who is a person of influence. He enjoyed the story and shared the link on his Timeline. Then his crowd came to see. In The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell writes that we are actually powerfully influenced by our surroundings, our immediate context, and the personalities of those around us1. We rely on them [connectors] to give us access to opportunities and worlds to which we don’t belong2. Your friends, after all, occupy the same world that you do3. The number of views rise like the tide over the course of the evening. I reflect that the only thing I did was agonize over every single word of a short story for five nights before publishing it on a Sunday, weeks ago.

 

4.

In the mythology of various cultures, man supplicates assistance from deities who guarantee success or reverse fortunes, from Zeus to Thor to Sango. If one subscribes to the Biblical narrative, one encounters a prophet, Elijah, running behind a king riding on a chariot. The king should arrive long before Elijah does for man is no match for horses. However, Elijah receives a boost in momentum from his God. He runs faster than the king’s chariot, a sight that may have made it to YouTube and gone viral, if it were today. Technological advances make reliance on deity a primitive concept for some. Man and the machines he has made have created momentum that carries him beyond the moon and back. But what is momentum for you? Wherever you anchor your belief, I wish you what I wish myself: that you consolidate the gains from the previous year and ride a new wave. Happy new momentum.

 

©Timi Yeseibo 2014

 

  1. Gladwell, Malcom, The Tipping Point, How Little Things Can Make A Big Difference, (London: Abacus/Time Warner Books, 2001), 259.
  2. Ibid., 54.
  3. Ibid., 54.

 

Photo credit: Acatana/ http://pixabay.com/en/highway-night-traffic-spotlight-409126/

 

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45 thoughts on “Happy New Momentum”

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  3. Timi, I love this! You cited two of my favorite books (The Tipping Point and the Bible). By the way, I read a book by a traffic engineer who stated that the fast lane goes slower in heavy traffic because those drivers have to brake more often, thus creating a lot of stop-and-start interruptions to the (very slow) flow. Not sure if that’s always true, but it’s an intriguing idea. Congratulations on your New Momentum!

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    1. Thanks Julia, it’s an intriguing idea and I’m buying into it. I’ve been choosing the slow lane in traffic-congested highways, and it has been the ‘fast’ lane 🙂

      I like how Gladwell uses stats to tell stories and explain how/why things work or don’t. Don’t get me started on the Bible . . .

      Happy New Momentum, Julia!

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    1. I like the idea of cruising through lights that turn green as I approach, as well as people stumbling upon my writing. It seems as though it is more than coincidence to me. So when you say God and people should be your major sources of momentum, I can relate. 🙂
      Thank you!

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  9. Great article, Timi. Just the right sentiment and tone to set for the new year. Momentum, or as I like to call it the “Big Mo,” is critical to success whether you are a writer, business person, or an athlete. Once you get started keep it going! It is always frustrating when you start something and you find yourself spinning your wheels getting no place fast. This is to be avoided. Your analogies and metaphors are glittery things to behold which convey your point most punctiliously.

    I can definitely relate to the agonizing over every word for a week reference. Been there, done that. I like Dorothy Parker’s quote: “I hate writing, I love having written.” I can relate to that as well.

    Here’s a reference from Haruki Murakami you might like: “Image is everything. You don’t spare any expense to create the right image. And word of mouth is critical. Once you get a good reputation, momentum will carry you.”

    Happy writing in 2015!

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    1. I like the reference from Murakami, thanks for sharing.
      @ Once you get started keep it going! You know, there are days when I don’t feel like writing. Maintaining a weekly blog has made me a disciplined writer. It’s one of my gains from 2014- priceless! I hope to build on that as I go along.

      @Dorothy Parker, lol, I can relate.

      Happy writing! I hope the ‘Big Mo’ takes you to beautiful places this year. 🙂

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  10. This was full of action, excitement, (Yay for booming numbers!) and momentum, Timi! Great post and so happy someone got your story passed around and it was met with large followings! You deserve them!! Smiles, Robin

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    1. Thanks Robin. There was a huge spike in views, but not in following 🙂
      I’ve found that increased views doesn’t necessarily translate to increase in followers. And increase in followers doesn’t necessary mean increased views 🙂
      As Nancy mentioned below sometimes we don’t know the full impact of our words, so it’s always nice to get feedback in whatever form.

      Happy New Momentum, Robin!

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  11. Pingback: TCN Blog Digest I | The Crazy Nigerian

    1. Here’s wishing you achieve your top ten goals, by God’s grace 😉
      I enjoy reading Malcolm Gladwell books, though last year I refused to buy David & Goliath 🙂
      I’m reading Blink at the moment (and three other books simultaneously!)
      M for momentum; go Jollof!

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  13. Happy New Year, glad things are booming. I was pleasantly surprised when I took a month off and things kept ticking over. Back in business now.
    I liked the post, momentum is a good thing in life when it is pushing in the right direction, onwards and upwards and happy writing.

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  14. Dear Timi,

    Happy new year…and momentum!
    I found your blog last year and loved visiting/reading the posts as well as the comments. Looking forward to bigger and better this year.

    Have a fantastic week!
    X

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  16. How I love the way you write! Awesome writers like you inspire learners like me. I used the word Momentum in my last post! Thanks to you, oh and I indicated that too! Happy new momentum!

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    1. Thank you Chimamaka. It’s nice to know my writing inspires you. It’s all about consolidating the gains from 2014 and moving forward in 2015. “Dear 2015 . . .” 😉

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  17. Hi Timi. In reading the comments on this post, I came to understand that you made a parallel between auto traffic and blog traffic. Very clever.
    “But what is momentum for you? Wherever you anchor your belief”
    –This is so true. Like you, I want to do what I do with all I’ve got. I think our belief has everything to do with that.
    A very happy momentum to you too throughout all of 2015.
    🙂

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    1. Our beliefs shape the way we see our world. What momentum is and the source can differ for individuals. I wish you new momentum as you do what you do with all you’ve got. Go Staci!
      @ very clever, lol 😉 Traffic seemed like a good metaphor . . .

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  18. Timi, happy new momentum!
    When you say that you are surprised by the booming of your stats, I am surprised:-)
    You share great content and that should reflect in your stats!
    Here’s to breaking the “Stats” in 2015!

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    1. Tamkara, happy new momentum!
      It has been my experience that great content doesn’t automatically equal booming stats. Great content can ‘hide’ in the busy internet highway until it’s ‘discovered’, unless one already has a ‘huge’ readership . . .

      To breaking the stats, yes . . . with content that inspires! 🙂

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  20. #3 ~> We never know the full impact our words have on others. What you wrote weeks earlier still echoes . . . allowing them to find that someone who needed to hear them.

    Hope your coming year is Merry and Bright and filled with Momentum!

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  21. Beautiful New Year wish, TImi. Happy momentum 2015 to you too. I love the parallel between the two types of traffic and the wisdom of subtext gleaned by you and shared with us. I can understand why your friend felt compelled to share your blog. Here is to even more expansion.

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    1. It was all about traffic, whether road traffic or blog traffic 😉
      Sometimes situations line up perfectly, other times people give us a break.
      I raise my glass to even more expansion; may we grow beyond what we dared dreamed possible in the ways that matter to us!

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