Why Momentum Matters

I’ve always disagreed with the theory of slowing down. “Slow down and smell the roses,” Mum would tell me. And she was right. For a while, anyway. The problem was, my twenty-one year old self would internalise that to not just slow down, but to stop completely. And that’s where I messed up.

I also associated momentum as a career thing. Keep working, keep moving. And it’ll be fine.

The thing I didn’t know…

The thing that hurt my progress the most…

Was when I’d stop and smell the roses, I’d just stop.

It’s like my journey being on the carnivore diet – it’s okay for me to have a cheat meal, but only one meal. For progress, I need to keep to my core principles of eating meat.

When one cheat meal becomes a full cheat day… then it becomes a cheat week. And a cheat month. And suddenly six months goes by and I’m far worse than when I began.

But, shit, was I wrong.

You shouldn’t put momentum in a silo…

You shouldn’t keep momentum for just one part of your life…

No… it has to keep moving. On all fronts. In your career, in your love life, in your finances and fitness and growth.

Because when you stop everything – when you let go of momentum in one area of your life – it becomes far too easy to halt it in every other area.

Momentum is about keeping your calendar full. Keeping your days busy. Not for the sake of busyness, but with productive steps to move things forward.

It was 22ºc here in Toronto today, as I was walking alone Lakeshore, down by Lake Ontario. It’s a gorgeous lake on warm days like today – you can see the view of downtown Toronto, clear as day with the CN Tower cutting above the skyline.

There’s a beautiful, small Catholic Church a block from the lake. It has the most beautiful white roses. Right now, they’re blooming. And while I was walking by the Church, River of Darkness by The Midnight playing in my AirPods, I thought of my mother.

I stopped and smelled the roses.

Momentum in one area may keep things at bay, but active momentum in every area of your life is what keeps anxiety away.

While the pain and resistance of taking action may hurt…

The cost of remaining still hurts far more, far longer.

The Gambler: How Penniless Dropout Kirk Kerkorian Became the Greatest Deal Maker in Capitalist History

One of the best page turners I’ve read in years. It follows the life of Kirk Kerkorian, who grew to become a billionaire as the man that “built Vegas.” I learnt many things from his life, a life from flying bombers in the WWII, to buying an airline, and going head-to-head with Howard Hughes.

Key Takeaway: Kirk listened to his gut when he was making decisions. When he’d make decisions or investments, everyone thought he was rolling the dice. In truth, he was listening to his gut. He pounced on great opportunities.

Especially the opportunity of signing Elvis to perform at his Vegas casino for years. He’s the reason Elvis ended up in Vegas, and ultimately, the contributor to Elvis’ Vegas fame.

Love this book. Highly recommend it.

Josh’s Picks

• Ryan Holiday wrote one of my favourite pieces yet. He touched on building your own platform and the importance of alive time vs dead time. That post is the reason I started writing this newsletter.

• I’m obsessed with anything Ben Bader writes on X. He’s becoming a new GOAT in the agency/marketing/ecom space.

• My friend, artist manager Mauricio Ruiz, just launched his new podcast on the music business. It’s called The Manager’s Playbook. His first interview: Lady Gaga’s former manager, Troy Carter. Check it out.