Momentum (n.)
a strength or force gained by motion or by a series of events.
When a train doesn’t have momentum, even a brick on the rails can stop it. But when the train gains momentum, it can crash into the cement wall, and people in the back won’t even notice it.
The more you move, the easier it is to keep moving. A person or a collective that moves fast, with a lot of momentum, in a good direction doesn’t almost feel any problems on the way. Maybe only the person in front notices it, maybe someone heard a noise, but life continues.
Building a capoeira group is like pushing this humongous rock up a mountain: the first push, until you start rolling, is very hard. When something starts moving, it’s getting a little bit easier. But you still push up the mountain; once you stop pushing, the rock is working against you. Pushing forward many times is easier than resting.
The first 10 years of building a group involve constant pushing, finding a good rhythm. There will be a point when the rock reaches the top of the mountain, and there is a possibility to catch a breath.
Push a little bit more, and you will get to the other side of the mountain; now the rock is flying away from you. You can stop pushing, quit capoeira, but the rock will still be rolling without you.
Mestre Cueca
Build and maintain momentum, and it will take care of 99% of your problems.
Motivation often comes after starting, not before. Action produces momentum.
What can you do in the next 30 days to build momentum and finish the year on a high note?1
— From talks with Cueca
Further reading
Footnotes
1. Hat tip for this question to James Clear in his 3-2-1 Newsletter.