Managing Friction Leads to Better Momentum

Friction prevents us from building the momentum we need to complete our projects, live out our dreams, and create the lives we want. Therefore, if we want to accomplish our goals we need more than motivation, we need to reduce friction.

[Arjen Toet | Flickr | Modified]

I’m not an avid bowler, but two or so times a year my wife and I will meet up with friends at one of the hipster bowling alleys in Pittsburgh.

The concept of bowling is simple: hurl an object towards a set of other objects to knock them down.

By exerting a force on a heavy ball, you create momentum. This then exerts another force on the pins, knocking them down and ensuing awkward fist pumps and high fives. It’s simple physics.

Or is it?

Motivation Isn’t Everything

I read recently, on one of the countless thought-leader blogs I follow: Motivation is the driving force. I get it, motivation is necessary to put things in motion.

But another natural phenomenon occurs in physics when applying a force to an object: the opposite reactionary force, friction.