Ask 8cr! - Momentum

Ask 8cr! - Momentum Welcome to "Ask 8cr!" - a new section of our blog where we've created a forum to find out what kinds of issues and challenges people are having in the workplace. We then take these issues and apply a business book we feel offers a viable solution. Others then chime in via the comments section. The person with the selected challenge gets a free copy of the book, but everyone who reads these posts, wins. Do you have a challenge at work? Send it to me at jon(a)800ceoread(dot)com. Today's challenge deals with getting momentum back. Here's a note from one of our readers: My biggest challenge right now is staying motivated now that I've crushed all my professional and personal objectives. Work has lost its zest. I find myself going though the motions and I gotta ask...how long before I lose my edge? How long before I go from the golden boy to the has-been? What can I do to keep it interesting now that I'm on top (and actually have the time and resources to try something new)? - Curt This note from Curt really struck me. His questions almost imply a self-fulfilling prophecy. There are a ton of books in both the business and self-help categories that address staying inspired and focused, but one came across my desk recently that I feel is timely, and is co-authored by someone who surely has found ways to keep going, stay in the limelight, and exude an intense amount of momentum. Donald Trump and Bill Zanker have written a book called, Think Big and Kick Ass in Business and Life. Now, despite what you think of Trump, the guy's done a lot, and just keeps on going. In this book, Trump and Zanker pen a chapter that addresses Curt's challenge: "Big Mo!" "Big Mo" is momentum, and Trump begins by telling a story of one-time real estate guru William Levitt - a man who literally had it all and lost everything, simply because he lost his momentum. When Trump met him (post-momentum), he learned the big lesson that losing your momentum means losing everything; for without it, you're done. He states, "The funny thing about momentum: when you stop, it stops" and, addressing his own moment of questions similar to Curt, "All I ever saw were the good times. I thought it would always be that way. Over those sixteen booming years I had always been intent on one thing: building bigger and bigger momentum. Then I stopped." Trump's work lost its zest; he was going through the motions. Did he lose his edge? The answer, we all know, is no. But, what did he do?

"One way to keep your momentum going is to keep giving yourself greater and greater challenges. It is also important to give your knowledge and insight freely to anyone who asks. I believe people absorb more efficiently and faster when they learn by doing, and I am intent on giving people the knowledge they need to succeed. I give two hour speeches at The Learning Annex Wealth Expos for the same purpose, and I donate a large portion of my speaking fees to charity. To keep your momentum going you must have intrinsic values as well as monetary values, and you must recognize when it is time to start giving back." - Donald Trump

Co-author Bill Zanker adds: "Latch onto a business trend that has great momentum. Then partner with others to set big goals and let the momentum lead you to higher and higher levels." This is merely one chapter of a kick-in-the-pants book to get all of us fired up about our business. The rest of the book is filled with equally blunt, yet insightful experiences of the man who's recently become best known for his "accountability" (a nice way to coin his "You're Fired!"). The book also features an appendix filled with a variety of resources: best of Q&A, true stories from others, must reads, and more. Give this book to any entrepreneur and watch them explode. I'm sending a copy to Curt, and am excited to hear about how it changes his perspective, and gives him back the passion to create new challenges for himself.