I was standing about to step off the edge into what I could not see. I would be staring at a wall of rock the entire time hoping I would not crash into the wall and break my legs or plummet to the ground uncontrollably and die. This experience of rappelling off a rock is like stepping into the unknown of building a business. 
At the point of jumping for either experience we battle mental monsters. Two voices compete in our mind and more often than I want to admit the negative voice wins and blocks my momentum. This voice is the voice of limiting beliefs. This voice often pushes us toward what Carol Dweck calls a fixed mindset in her book Mindset which I talked more in depth about here. For now, allow me to suggest three ways we may limit our momentum.
Past Experiences
Up until that point I had never jumped off a rock into the unknown with someone at bottom I am trusting my life to. All my past experiences say that if I jump into the unknown I will get hurt. These same experiences impact how much we are willing to move forward.
For years I had a “secure” paycheck and to build a business required . . . well I didn’t know exactly. I knew it required a lot of work and would be exciting, but also terrifying because I still had to feed my family and pay bills. Not only at jumping point, but daily I choose to step into growth and the unknown even though I do not know what to expect. Instead of allowing past experiences to limit me, movement continues the momentum.
Results
Once I stepped off the ledge and fell into the unknown my heart was beating and then my feet hit the wall, flexed my knees, and pushed myself away. With each contact I grew more confident, and the momentum grew. This is no different in other area we are trying to gain momentum.
In other industries I had experienced success. These results encouraged my belief I could be successful in a new endeavor. Momentum is easy to maintain when we see results that are evident like on the mountain wall. The limiting beliefs creep in when we see results that could reinforce the thought we can’t do it. What do we do? Borrow belief from those ahead in the journey or get people in our life who can help us identify the lies and replace them with truth.
History
You may not be a person of faith or agree with this idea but stick with me for the sake of illustration. I’ve heard it said that when the devil reminds you of your past (failures), remind him of his future (destruction). We all fail and may think because of our past lack of experience, failures, or . . . that we can’t do what we are envisioning.
There is truth that we may have limitations we need to grow through or get people around us to help us when we are weak. Sometimes though, we are simply limiting ourselves by believing lies. One of my mentors introduced me to a great phrase. “Up until now” I haven’t or couldn’t . . . just because we haven’t done it YET doesn’t mean we will not eventually succeed.
What is limiting you? I know sometimes I need someone to come alongside me to help me get out of my own way. Maybe people on your team struggle with one or all of these. If I can help you and those you lead gain momentum through breaking through these barriers contact me so we can discover ways I can serve you. Lead well.
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