The Myths of Momentum: It Should Be Fast
We all want quick results, but what if that isn't the point?
This is part of the Myths of Momentum series, where we’re looking at what we’ve been told success should look and feel like. We often imagine that success should come easy, happen quickly, and be fun.
Maybe when you set out to achieve a big goal, like starting your own business or writing a book, you had hopes that it would happen quickly.
You’re not alone.
We’re all impatient to reach the finish line.
Why Speed is Seductive
In my early 20s, I fell for get-rich-quick schemes.
I also got into superfoods, or what we’ll call get-well-quick schemes.
Instead of making slow, deliberate changes to your whole life that encompass what you eat, how you spend your time, who you spend it with, the stress levels you have, etc...
You can just buy this one product, and boom, you'll feel good fast.
The parallels with instant-success business products are obvious.
Around the same time, I got involved in a direct sales organization that sold superfood supplements and energy drinks. But, they told me, the real product they were selling was coaching and business mentorship.
Since I had recently started my first business right out of college after turning down a solid job on Wall Street…
I was desperate for mentorship and a feeling of success in those early years of my business.
This multi-level marketing company was shut down by the FTC a few years later for being a pyramid scheme.
Spending the time to create a business that delivered real value felt too hard.
It was uncomfortable. It would have taken too long.
So I went for the quick fix, which ended up costing me more money and wasting my time on the wrong things. Setting me back, instead of moving me forward.
Slow Changes Your Expectations
Here’s how my perspective has changed over the years, in both the superfood and business arenas.
Twenty years ago, the first superfood I bought was Goji Berries, from the Himalayas.
I showed my then-boyfriend, now-husband Robin these amazing antioxidant powerhouse berries...
And he laughed.
You see, my husband grew up in China and his family has been eating goji berries in their soups for generations.
But they don't consider them to be superfoods, and they were not paying nearly as much as I was for them.
My small bag of goji berries cost four times as much as the one his family would get in Chinatown.
Still, I felt like I had discovered a treasure.
We continued to incorporate goji berries into our meals sporadically.
Then when we moved to our farm, Robin's parents gifted us some Goji berry plant roots.
Suddenly, we weren't buying imported Goji berries from the other side of the planet.
Instead, we were building a relationship with a plant.
The next year, these berry plants put on a ton of tiny red fruit.
I spent a few weekend mornings harvesting them with my kids and then drying them inside.
This time, we got to see the whole lifecycle of this berry. From the green shoots in spring, the beautiful tiny flowers that fed the bees, to the ripening berries.
I've come to realize why this food is still used today: it's a delight to grow and harvest.
The Relationship Is What Changes You
As beneficial as the compounds in "superfoods" are... the act of growing and harvesting them can be just as beneficial.
While planting our garden and tending the plants, I spend a lot of time outside.
I'm constantly bending down, getting my hands dirty, and observing my surroundings.
This takes me out of my default "in front of a screen" state and helps me stay more active.
There's also the relationship with the plant itself.
This might sound a little esoteric. But watching something grow, seeing it flower, and even noticing when its leaves fall in preparation for resting in the winter... there's something to that.
It's not just a product on a shelf or a 1-click solution that gets auto-shipped to your door, readymade.
You're learning and changing even as you watch the plant change, too.
Author
makes a great distinction between “practice and achievement” in her essay about going slow. Practice is where we benefit from the process, whereas achievement is focused on the outcome.I still love learning about herbs, foods from different cultures, and medicinal plants.
But I take my time getting to know them, the slow way.
For years I’d heard amazing things about the stress relief benefits of Ashwagandha.
It's an Indian herb that acts a lot like Ginseng and offers adaptogenic properties.
Instead of buying an Ashwagandha supplement, I decided to buy some seeds.
This plant grows a lot like a tomato plant. It's in the same family.
So when I planted tomatoes this spring, I also planted a few Ashwagandha plants. They grew beautifully and in the fall I harvested the roots, washed, and dried them.
Now we're incorporating some of these roots into our winter soups.
Do I feel the effects?
Well, I've been getting the benefits of growing this plant even before we put any in our food.
That's what I'm trying to convey.
I realize that we can't all grow our food or medicine and that being able to buy it is an amazing thing in itself.
But maybe, just maybe, we can grow one thing and let this plant be our companion and improve our health along the way.
This isn't to say that I don't appreciate or use modern medicine and conveniences.
I take aspirin when I have a headache because I haven't figured out how to use the bark of a willow tree. Yet.
I take supplements from the store, especially Vitamin D, and I'm grateful for it in our Northern setting.
Stepping back…
It’s not surprising that there are get-rich-quick schemes that target people who want to get well quickly.
We’re all looking for relief.
Of our symptoms. Of our financial stressors.
In my experience, the slow and steady approach tends to yield good results long term.
Seeing The Benefits Beyond The Goals
It's a lot like the business journey.
We start businesses with a certain mission.
It might be to make an impact, earn money, or get a product or service out there.
These are all great aims.
But the "product" of running the business, in my experience, is that it changes you.
You grow as a person.
That's just as important as tangible things like money, the things you create or sell, and even the legacy you leave.
Running a business and pursuing a creative dream: these things take time, and they change you from within.
There’s no “quick” way to reach a business milestone, and that isn’t a bad thing.
Momentum doesn’t happen overnight, so enjoy the journey.
Listen to this podcast…
I’m on the award-winning Savvy Social Podcast talking about why I deleted my Instagram account… and what results I’m seeing with LinkedIn.
Navigating a Social Media Switch: From Instagram to LinkedIn with Andréa Jones & Nathalie Lussier
About Nathalie & The Momentum Memo
Nathalie Lussier is the founder of AccessAlly, a WordPress LMS plugin company for course creators, membership site owners, and community builders who want to scale on their terms.
In The Momentum Memo and Off The Charts podcast she shares her journey of running a tech business, being a regenerative farmer, and raising young kids.
This was a great read. Very relatable. The details change but the story is all the same and yet I love reading this kind of stuff all the time. Just brings out that spark. I'm so glad I found this place.
A story that I suspect is far too common. I, too, got involved with unethical predators praying on individuals chasing fast(er) success and guidance. MLM businesses are designed to go after people in that state.
I love how you highlight the parallels between nature and business in this post Nathalie.