On this last day of July, with almost 60% of the year behind us, I wanted to reach out with some reflections.
Momentum has its own rhythm that cannot be forced, only nurtured. We read enough about planting seeds, watering them, giving them the right conditions in which to grow - not too hot, not too damp, not too cold - and allowing things to appear in their own time, when they are ready.
I recall an anecdote about how a kind but misguided human tried to help a baby bird emerge faster from its temporary home, its sheath or membrane and the shell that protected it, by snipping the sheath, thinking they were doing the little bird a favour. They were not. The bird was not ready to emerge. It was not ready to fly. It was just not ready. And even though it stepped out of its temporary home, it met with a fate that no one would have wanted. All that was required was for the human to allow things to take their natural course, to emerge when ready, not when we deem something to be ready.
How often do we try to force something into existence? How often do we apply relentless pressure on things instead of allowing them to take their natural course?
But there is a fine line between being persistent, following up with, say, a service provider, following through on a commitment, showing up consistently, letting it be known something needs to be done a little faster, and forcing something to ‘emerge’ before it is ready.
I have been reflecting on the last 7½ months, which have constituted a turning point in my business. It began with a new business model, a significant Zoom call that demonstrated what integrity and professionalism really look like. Then, separate from new business development, at 11 pm on New Year’s Eve 2025, I hit publish on my 114th title.
And 2026 began with a flourish, with still more business developments, one or two pivots, and a variety of new elements being added consistently, thoughtfully, and most requiring me to revisit my various comfort zones and leave them.
Then, through the kind of focus on opportunities even disguised as someone’s newsletter, a new collaboration was born. Then another in a different way and based on something that began over six years ago in another country, on a different continent, with me merely a spectator.
And in the last week, and particularly the last two days, momentum has so kicked in that it has left me breathless. I could not be happier.
Momentum is one of those things that simply requires small, consistent, focused steps, some big decisions, a lot of faith, a lot of focus on what one wants to achieve, showing up regardless, and as much effort as required to tune out the often-incredible irritants, stumbling blocks, obstacles and hurdles wittingly or unwittingly placed on our path.
We focus on building what we are building. We focus on the handful of things and souls that matter. We continue. The rest? They eventually fade and soon disappear.
As I continue adding subtitles to my YouTube videos on my channel (Stress, Reframed – Everyday Empowered Women™), having done the same to Tier I Stress Interpreter Reset™, and as I finish this article, I am still plagued by never-ending internet issues that are quite simply being dealt with so badly it has left me reeling in frustration and despair.
But I have found an alternative – my mobile hotspot to ensure a dependence on other people and other methods is almost totally obliterated.
There is generally always a way - one just needs to calm one’s brain enough to be able to function efficiently and with clarity. And keep one’s eye very firmly on the donut and not upon the hole.
And is my Paco Straws™ framework helping me? Oh yes!
Thanks for reading, and let’s make the remaining five months of this year spectacular.
XMBP 31.7.2026
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRu9JP9RK-ysWsAFRf9Ejzw
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