The Magic of Momentum: Escape Any Rut. Build Winning St… (2024)

The Magic of Momentum is my introduction to Stephen Guise and his self-help books, and it did not disappoint. It focuses on a new angle to achieving success in any area of life, and that is building and sustaining momentum. Guise explains why this approach is preferrable to creating big goals that often go unmet because they require constant discipline and willpower, two things that are bound to fail on our worst days. Instead, if we concentrate on building positive momentum in the short term, by showing up each day and overcoming resistance, we can then create long-term momentum, which leads to lasting results. In Part 1, he explains the four principles of human momentum and in Part 2 he gives the reader strategies to reverse negative momentum, and create and sustain positive momentum.

Included in these strategies is helpful mindsets, and my favorite is: "Be a consistent starter. A failure to finish is unequivocally a failure to start again. It’s more helpful to focus on being a continuous starter because starting is actionable and it always results in finishing, so long as you start as much as necessary until the job is done." I love this insight and plan to adopt it, as well as his crucial ideas to set a goal that is doable and achievable (the 1 push-up a day versus 100 pushups in 30 days) and that small steps forward everyday creates the momentum we need to achieve, versus rigid, big actions that are derailed once our motivation or willpower leave us.

This book is packed with wisdom and practical advice, if a bit wordy at times. It is completely worth the read though, and I also plan on reading his some of his other books to glean more of insightful approach to life.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I won this book in a goodreads drawing.

A self help book that tells you how to ride momentum to improve your life. Like many similar books, but it never hurts to recharge.

Despite some significant takeaways, I found the book confusing and unconvincing.

I respect and enjoy self-improvement writing based on personal experience, but it means this book seems to primarily cater to a single heterosexual male audience. For me, the biggest drawback of the book is that Stephen Guise tries to convey general principles about human behaviour without coherent enough logic or strong enough evidence to properly back up his claims.

While this book does have some potential in helping you grow your understanding of long-term change through the concept of momentum, I suggest Atomic Habits or Tiny Habits as better examples of texts in this area.

A lot of actionable tips here regarding positive momentum and a definite re read to write notes from.

After quite enjoying the Mini Habits and Elastic Habits installment, I was intrigued to see what Stephen would produce next.

However, for me Momentum doesn't come close to his previous books, which have so far been filled with lots of practical examples and a pretty direct writing style. Momentum for me seemed to lack a bit in content, leading to quite a lot of "fluff" and I think key messages got lost amid lots of confusing analogies.

Additionally, for me his use of examples in actual scientific momentum (as per the science of physics) in trying to force the analogy to "human" momentum did not convince me particularly, and at times led to some absurd comparisons.

Overall, I didn't buy into this at all, but if anyone was interested in an exploration into habits his first two books I would recommend (although based on his ideas and anecdotal evidence) or perhaps something more like atomic habits if you fancy something with a stronger scientific foundation, but still with a strong practical element.

Book review :

The magic of momentum is in its power to propel us to places we couldn't or wouldn't go otherwise, and then to compound in that same direction. Most goals die when people run out of motivation and willpower. When motivation returns, new goals are born, and the cycle continues. Momentum is special because it doesn't depend on our thoughts or feelings to work.

Every breakthrough, whether it's earning more money, gaining more power and influence, gaining competence in a skill, or increasing your self-discipline, changes everything. Every new level one reach becomes powerful leverage to help one reach higher levels.

What We'll Learn:
- Why momentum is the most powerful force that affects your behavior at all times.
- Why momentum only exists across two time frames, and not in the time frame most people think it does.
- Why momentum works differently in our lives than in other areas such as sports (hint: it's the brain).
- How to instantly defeat the psychology of being in a rut.
- How to reverse negative momentum.
- How to create and sustain positive momentum.

Guise explains why this approach is preferrable to creating big goals that often go unmet because they require constant discipline and willpower, two things that are bound to fail on our worst days. Instead, if we concentrate on building positive momentum in the short term, by showing up each day and overcoming resistance, we can then create long-term momentum, which leads to lasting results. In Part 1, he explains the four principles of human momentum and in Part 2 he gives the reader strategies to reverse negative momentum, and create and sustain positive momentum.

I loved reading this book and would recommend this amazing book to all self help book lovers.

I am thankful to booksirens for gifting me this book in return of an honest review.

Happy Reading!

I like Stephen Guise the best out of the various habit writers. He is very honest, and explains things in easily comprehended ways. He still has all the links to the various studies in the appendix, so he’s not just basing it on his own life.

If given a choice between great and terrible, we will always choose great... unless we've already started with terrible, in which case we may stay with terrible simply because we're already moving in that direction. (pp. 31-32).

Gah, we are such creatures of habit, aren’t we?

Work out which way you are going - what is your end point? Take even tiny steps towards it, make sure all your steps are in the same direction.

It's always better to aim low, with the opportunity to crush your goal, than it is to aim too high and discourage, hurt, or even demoralize yourself if/when you fall short. I know this stands against 99% of self-help literature that tells you to get motivated and aim big. Real-world, consistent training beats romanticized notions of grandeur that sell books but don't help anyone. If you want to become great in any area, build a foundation first. (pp. 205-206).

Give yourself an easy win, and do it as early in your day as you can, so that you do not lose momentum.

It's more helpful to focus on being a continuous starter because starting is actionable and it always results in finishing, so long as you start as much as necessary until the job is done. The timing will vary, as will your "traction" in any individual session of work, but if you want to be the person who never gives up and always finishes, commit to being the most persistent starter. (p. 176).

I really like this idea.

4 stars

This book is powerful. It made me stop and evaluate how I work and if my direction on the path that I am on is sabotaging me or positioning me for success as I strive to achieve my goals.

Some sections of the book read a little like a textbook and I had to reread those parts. There are quite a few sports and engineering examples which may not be for everyone. But having said that as someone who only took part in sports at school as it was compulsory, I loved the sports analogies, where weaker teams used the power of momentum to win in ways that, although 100% legal, somehow felt a little like cheating. They were brilliant and made me laugh at the sheer cheekiness of them, especially the tug of war and running dive in examples.

As a writer myself, I related to the example how our perceptions of being in a rut can keep us from taking action in areas that can get us out of the rut (or as writers call it, writer’s block) and I made some important decisions after reading that section.

I would highly recommend this book to people who are serious about the study of human success and how it can help you make successful breakthroughs. There are books that are easier to read, but the impact of this one is well worth the effort.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Life-changing

Stephen Guise’a books, including this one, are life-changing. I first found Stephen with Mini Habits, and I found the impact of setting Mini Habits to be simple and life-changing. I gained new healthier habits that have definitely stacked up for me. This book explains the force that kicks in when we maintain our small habits…and explains how to use it to your advantage and keep momentum going, even on the days you don’t ‘feel like it’ (so normal).

A few years after I read Mini Habits, I listened to the hugely popular Atomic Habits on Audible. I enjoyed it and found it useful *and* for me, I’d already learnt and enjoyed the benefits of smaller habits from Stephen Guise; and personally I resonated with Mini Habits more than Atomic Habits (and continue to recommend to others).

One of Stephen’s other books, How to Be An Imperfectionist, helped me to give my first public talk…the mindset shift of just showing up that he shared in the book was just the coaching I needed to navigate the pre-talk nerves.

One of my favourite authors; and feel his work should be more popular than it is!

Thank you for what you do, Stephen - your work has been super impactful in my life. Now onto his two other books I haven’t yet read!

Brilliant everything you need to know about human momentum book.

The book comes in two parts with cogent arguments, persuasively written with referenced sources of evidence. Metaphors and examples are relevant, understandable and relatable. The message underlying is simple in encouraging you to do something positive instead of just sitting and thinking about it. Where it distinguishes itself is in explaining the direction of momentum shift is vital to success and giving examples of negative human momentum.

The second part of the book is about implementation of the principles from the first part and using familiarity and proficiency to embed momentum actions as habits and start off the snowball of spin-off benefits. He does explain and show how the magic happens and gains credibility through accounts of his own successes and failures. He does reference his other books in the field on habits, but this works as a standalone.

I received a free advance review copy, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A deep dive into how to be unstoppable

I have read a couple of Stephen Guise books before & liked them. This guy is not a PhD & doesn't spend a lot of pages taking about research findings. Nevertheless, his conclusions make sense.
The best part of this book is the way Guise actively talks readers out of our flawed thinking. That is, he acknowledges why we might think we've lost the fight and ought to give up. And then he explains convincingly why that moment when we think it's all over is precisely the moment to creep back, slowly, into the game.
This book helped me see that no matter what my emotions might be, I always have viable options. I can still achieve my big-picture goal, even if my route has to deviate from my original plan.
Thanks, Stephen.

Consistently Quality

I have been following Stephen for years, his blog, Mini-Habits and his other books. As I was reading Magic of Momentum I kept thinking, yes, I do this and it works, and yes that too. Doing a little bit toward my goal when my energy is low. Finding a small tweak (or cheat) to break a bad habit. So many things. I realized that over this last decade Stephen's wisdom and continuous persistence has been an inspiration and a valuable asset to my life.

Thank you Stephen, keep on keeping on.
Nicole

Just brilliant!

I read this book because Mini Habits by Stephen Guise changed my life. From being a night owl and never being able to get up in the morning, I used a stupid small mini habit consistently and now I can wake every morning at roughly the same time without an alarm. Such a relief to not have an alarm going off or to feel groggy. I read / listened to this book on Kindle but I think I will get the hard copy so I can go through it again and mine the gems. There’s too many and I need to take notes.

Another home run by Stephen Guise

Great book with incredible advice, that brings a brand new perspective on using the power of momentum to improve your life and build long term habits. I really wish I could give it five-stars but he adds so many little 'jokes' (they're not funny at all) between meaningful and insightful paragraphs that it distracts from the main point. He's a terrific author but he's a terrible comedian, wish he would just stick to the point and stop trying to be funny. If you haven't read Mini Habits yet, pick that up first, that's a true masterpiece.

good advice plus a few laughs

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book. I was interested in the topic but from the cover thought the content might be a little hokey. Not the case. Terrific insights. Great advice. And written in a way that was endearing and fun. I will read more from the author. I enjoyed his style.

Inspiring!!!

I chose this rating because his words make sense. Easy to read, easy to understand and easy to apply to your own life. I recommend this book for anyone who feels stuck in their life. Not only does it give you hope for success, but it also tells you how to do it by working smart, not hard. Kudos to you Stephen Guise.

Inspiring

I've never been one to.read this type of book, but I felt pulled to.try it and finished it in a few hours. Thanks for putting it together, I'm looking forward to reading your other books.
Definitely going to be recommending this to my friends.

I did not really enjoy this book. It was boring compared to his other books. I returned it.

Great insights

If you are a fan of Stephan Guise you will enjoy this book. Great insights and advice. A great book to keep you focused on your goals

inspiring!

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to improve their life. It is both useful and inspiring, also entertaining.

Very helpful and a strong encouragement to build/rebuild consistent habits in a whirlwind season of raising small children with other responsibilities.

Excellent Read

An inspiring, thought provoking, dynamic read on the power of momentum in our lives, that impacts our happiness and our habits.

Main point: In any given day we make choices, none of which are insignificant.

If for example, one day you choose to eat a banana instead of a cake for breakfast this may lead you to feeling better and applying for a job, rather than staying home and watching a movie. Landing this job may lead you to becoming more confident, finding a partner, making millions, etc. In contrast, watching the movie may lead to a pattern of bitterness, weight gain, sadness, etc.

The momentum you get from making one good decision (or a bad one) can lead to many further outcomes that we are unable to see at the time of making that decision.

Everyone says, “Be consistent.” Until I read this book, I didn’t understand why consistency & momentum were so powerful, even though I’ve used it to achieve big things in my life. I love books that teach me new ideas and give me action steps to make changes in my life. This is one of them. I now have a repeatable process to achieve my goals (starting small, of course).

HIGHLIGHTS:
1. TRANSITIONS:
- 7 second rule to transition between emotions.

2. PASSIVE ACTIVE SYSTEM:
- whiteboard w/ magnetic labels.
- Name the task.
- Active zone
- Recurring task
- Resource: https://images.app.goo.gl/tsmBySbarGr...

3. SET PRECISE INTENTIONS:
- Keep deciding o start every day.

4. AIM LOW:
- Increase a goal that is doable (eg. One push up a day)

5. REST:
- Rest is essential for momentum.

6. MOMENTUM REQUIRES ACTION:
- Address resistance.
- Consider alternative action instead of brute force.