Designing Momentum E-Book

Brant Menswar

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Ratgeber
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 272

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025

Beschreibung

Master life's pivotal moments to create a legacy of unstoppable momentum

Discover how Brant Menswar's Designing Momentum can transform your life by teaching you to capture and harness the power of everyday moments. In a world where uncertainty reigns, this motivational guide provides the mindsets and strategies you need for lasting personal and professional growth.

Designing Momentum is your practical guide to recognizing and leveraging life's transformational moments for maximum impact. Through engaging stories and actionable advice, Menswar shows you how to use Moment Momentum to propel yourself toward your goals, creating a legacy worth remembering.

Inside the book:

• Adopt the WITWAW Mindset: Cultivate a “What If There Was A Way” approach to turn probabilities into possibilities.
• Harness the BUMP Framework: Build momentum through belonging, understanding, meaning, and purpose.
• Leverage the power of OGREs: Unleash moments filled with an Overwhelming Gut Reaction of Emotion for tremendous impact.

Designing Momentum is perfect for anyone seeking to elevate their life from ordinary to extraordinary. Whether you're an entrepreneur, a corporate leader, or simply someone who desires personal growth and greater fulfillment, this book will guide you toward realizing your potential one moment at a time.

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Cover

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Introduction

Moment 1: The Unsolicited Email

Moment 2: The Discovery Call

Moment 3: The Transformational Moment

Part I: The Context

1 Stop Ghosting Yourself: The High Cost of Mental Time Travel

Loosening the Grip of the Past

Reframing My Own Past

Future Fantasy: The Illusion of Control

The High Cost of Absence

2 Capture the Moment: How Everyday Moments Can Create Unstoppable Momentum

Repurposing Survival Mode

Moment Momentum

Big Goal Buy-In

“People First” Personified

3 Unravel the Five-Year Plan: Unlocking the Power of Uncertainty

“Pivot, Pivaat, Pivaaaat!”: When Uncertainty Breeds Success

Recalibrating Success

Finding Order in the Chaos

4 Fix the Big Goal Glitch: Empowering True Ownership

The Fallout of the Big Goal Glitch

Building a Foundation of Ownership

Implementing Moment Momentum

5 Mitigate the Moment Thief: How Multitasking Steals Your Success

The Multitasking Myth

The Hidden Cost of Rapid Task-Switching

Reclaiming Your Moments: Strategies for Single-Tasking

Becoming Moment Makers

Part II: The Blueprint

6 Understand the Three Stages of Momentum: Learning to Recognize Where You Are

Stage 1: Living—The Foundation of Momentum

Stage 2: Lifting—A Shift in Desire and Expectation

Stage 3: Legacy—Creating Momentum for Others

The Dynamic Interplay Between Stages

7 Adopt the WITWAW Mindset: Turning Probabilities into Possibilities

Finding the Possibilities

WITWAW in Action

Embracing Curiosity

Curiosity Pioneers

8 Crush the Critic: Outmaneuvering Your Inner Nemesis

Origins of the Inner Critic

Challenging the Validity of What Your Inner Critic Tells You

Reframing the Rants

Your Critic-Crushing Crew

Be Kind to Yourself

9 BUMP the Moment: How to Instantly Create Momentum

The Four Elements of BUMP

BUMP in Action

10 Oversee the OGREs: Unleashing Emotionally Charged Moments for Maximum Impact

The Power of OGRE Moments: Building Emotional Mass

Finding Your Direction: Maximizing Emotional Velocity

Bumping an OGRE

Part III: The Ownership

11 Focus on Some “F” Words: Why Failure and Forgiveness Are Fundamental to Unstoppable Momentum

The Tango of Failure and Forgiveness

Reframing Failure

The Necessity of Forgiveness

The Devastating Ripple Effect of Unforgiveness

12 Fire the Fortune Teller: The Future Is a Present Creation

Designing a Moment Blueprint

Moment Blueprint Example: Team Innovation

13 Own Your Moment: Taking Accountability and Ownership Over Your Actions

Accountability: The Foundation of Ownership

Overcoming Accountability Obstacles

It's Not About Your Talent

Real-World Application: Hurricane Helene

The Ripple Effect of Ownership

14 Track the KPI of Hope: Managing Your Desires and Expectations

Understanding Your Desires

The Alchemy of Hope: Balancing Your Desires and Expectations

Tracking the KPI of Hope: Measuring What Matters

15 Build a Moment-Driven Legacy: Designing a Life Worth Remembering

Using Concentric Circles of Influence

A Legacy You Can Bank on

Conclusion

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Index

End User License Agreement

Guide

Cover

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Introduction

Begin Reading

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Index

End User License Agreement

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Praise for Designing Momentum

“Before Brant's book, the only ogre I thought I knew was a green animated character. Turns out, I've confronted more ogres than I thought, and it's these critical pivot points in life that either sink us or redefine us. Brant's incredible personal story frames some real truths and practical applications that we can all use not just to survive but to thrive in seemingly unbearable conditions.”

—Tom WebsterPartner, Sounds Profitable

“Designing Momentum is the book you need to overcome inertia and get the ball rolling in your life and work. From the most intimate changes in yourself to scalable changes in your organization, this book is full of insights, exercises, and inspiring stories that will get you moving. Of course, the most remarkable story of all is Brant’s own story of re-creating momentum after life slammed on the brakes. This is a highly impactful book.”

—Liane Davey, PhD Bestselling Author of The Good Fight

“Waiting for the ‘right moment’ is the fastest way to fail. In Designing Momentum, Brant Menswar proves that success isn’t about waiting—it’s about creating the moments that move you forward.”

—Tamsen WebsterFounder, Message Design Institute

“Designing Momentum is a transformative guide that captures the power of living moment-to-moment to overcome life's greatest challenges. Brant Menswar's deeply personal journey uniquely positions him to share this vital message.”

—Nick HutchisonFounder and CEO, BookThinkers, and Bestselling Author of Rise of the Reader

“Brant Menswar has crafted a brilliant blueprint for those seeking to harness the power of everyday moments. Designing Momentum is more than just a guide; it's a ‘verbs-first’ catalyst for personal and professional transformation. The practical strategies and real-life examples make it an invaluable resource for anyone committed to turning their goals into reality.”

—Hank NormanCo-founder, 2 Market Media, and Brand Builder

“The value of momentum is vastly underrated. With Designing Momentum, Brant Menswar provides a powerful framework for transforming everyday moments into extraordinary opportunities. His blend of personal stories and practical advice makes this book both inspiring and actionable. It's a must-have for anyone determined to create lasting momentum in their life.”

—Steve CarlisCo-founder, 2 Market Media

“Designing Momentum is a breakthrough guide for anyone feeling stuck or overwhelmed. Brant Menswar’s powerful insights and actionable strategies help you harness the energy of everyday moments to build unstoppable momentum and achieve your goals. Whether you’re navigating uncertainty, rediscovering hope, or creating a legacy, this book will inspire and empower you to make each moment count. Highly recommended!”

—Erin KingCreator of “The Energy Exam” and 2x Bestselling Author

“Pay attention to the implementable and intentional strategies in this book. Give yourself the luxury of making the most of the little moments to build big momentum. Approach this book with curiosity, and you will be delighted with the transformational approach to building an accountability plan that allows you to make a greater impact in the world.”

—Neen JamesLuxury Expert, Keynote Speaker, and Author of Attention Pays

“This essential guide for the twenty-first century reimagines mindfulness, patience, and focus, showing you how to apply them in transformative ways during every moment of your life. Along the way, Brant challenges harmful illusions and opens your eyes to the untapped power inside you—ready for the moment to burst forth. Do yourself a favor: get this book, dive in, and take notes. Go ahead and bump that ogre (you'll see). It's time to rediscover your purpose, reclaim your momentum, and redefine the rest of your life.”

—Noel ZamotFormer Commander of the US Air Force's elite Test Pilot School, a combat veteran, and the Author of the award-winning novels The Archer’s Thread and The Feather's Push

“Brant Menswar delivers a blueprint to navigate uncertainty, overcome challenges, and create a meaningful legacy. Designing Momentum fuels the journey to intentionality, fulfillment, and success, one moment at a time.”

—Kathleen WoodFounder and CEO, Kathleen Wood Partners

“My dear friend Brant has crafted something truly transformational. This profoundly personal journey of loss and redemption unveils a powerful testament to the resilience of the human spirit. This is not just another self-help book—it takes a revolutionary approach to success that goes beyond traditional thinking. This book demonstrates how intentionality can harness the power of everyday moments to create unstoppable momentum that becomes a life by design.”

—Amilya AntonettiBehaviorist and CEO, AMA Productions

DESIGNING MOMENTUM

A BIG GOAL BLUEPRINT FOR TRANSFORMING EVERYDAY MOMENTS INTO MASSIVE SUCCESS

BRANT MENSWAR

Copyright © 2025 by Black Sheep Foundry LLC. All rights reserved, including rights for text and data mining and training of artificial intelligence technologies or similar technologies.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.Published simultaneously in Canada.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available:

ISBN: 9781394330003 (cloth)ISBN: 9781394330010 (ePub)ISBN: 9781394330027 (ePDF)

Cover Design: WileyCover Image: © wildpixel/Getty ImagesAuthor Photo: © Guy Welch All rights owned by Brant Menswar

For Sherry…

So, so, so much.

I love you.

Introduction

LIFE SUCKS, THEN you die. That was my mantra not too long ago. I had suffered a devasting loss (which you will learn about in the first chapter) and found myself … stuck. Eh, that is letting myself off too easy. I had lost all hope and was going through the motions just to get to tomorrow. I had given up on achieving the level of success I wanted, never mind my crazy “dreams” of convincing millions of people that they were meant for more in this life. I found myself living in “survival mode,” and I didn't know how to get out of it.

A single conversation with a dear friend changed everything (which you will learn about in the last chapter … wait, you have to read the whole book? Yes). I discovered the hidden power buried deep within living moment to moment. I learned to harness it and use it to not just get me “unstuck” but to restore my hope and build unstoppable momentum.

Why is it that the blur of activity surrounding your life most often leads you to become overworked, overanxious, and overwhelmed yet hardly ever leads you to become an overachiever? You are “busy” but aren't making any real progress toward your big goals. You have tried every TikTok trend to move you closer to your dreams. You bought a daily planner to plot out your every move, you enrolled in that online course that promised to reveal the secrets of the uber-successful, and you purchased a gratitude journal to keep you positive and thankful for what you already have. Hell, you even bought a vibration plate to stand on and shake the shit out of all the negative energy your body is holding on to.

Nothing has worked. Yet.

Believe me, you are not alone in feeling this way. It's easy to get caught up in a cycle of “activity,” where you sacrifice long-term success for urgent short-term demands. The problem is you are pursuing your big aspirations in the wrong way. Rather than getting distracted by the urgency of everyday moments, you should be using them to build the kind of momentum that moves you forward one moment at a time.

This book offers a practical blueprint for transforming ordinary moments into extraordinary opportunities for growth and success. In fact, this book was born out of a series of everyday moments.

Moment 1: The Unsolicited Email

On January 9, 2024, I received an unsolicited email from a guy named Maxwell, a business development manager who worked for a company called 2 Market Media (2MM). I had heard of them before as they were a driving force behind launching the brands of Mel Robbins, Grant Cardone, and Evan Carmichael, to name a few. Max said he found me through a podcast I had been a guest on and had done a deep dive into my content. He loved the level of care and passion I put into what I do and explained that they “hand-pick” people they think are “rising stars” that they want to work with—consider my ego sufficiently stroked. Max made me feel like I belonged in the conversation. He asked to set up a quick call to learn about my goals and to see if what 2MM does would be of help. If I'm being honest, I wasn't looking for any help with my branding at the time. But my curiosity and ego decided to set up a call and see what Max had to say.

Moment 2: The Discovery Call

Three days later, my wife Sherry and I jumped on a video call to learn more about 2MM, what they do, and how they work. Max answered all of our questions and had some of his own. He wanted to get a clear understanding of where our business was at and what we were trying to build. On the surface, it looked like there could be some synergy. I have long been an admirer of 2MM clients. They have built powerful brands that connect with millions of people but in very different ways. I had some questions as to how 2MM would determine which path was correct for me. Max offered to connect us with well-known media veteran, entertainment executive, and 2MM co-founder Steve Carlis.

Moment 3: The Transformational Moment

A week later, Sherry and I found ourselves on a video chat with Steve. Before we had a chance to get started, Steve told me he had done some research on me and wanted to extend his sympathies for the devastating loss I referred to earlier (sorry, you are still going to have to read Chapter 1). He then talked about his daughter and the intense health struggles she faced when she was born. Steve didn't just placate my feelings or say something because it was “the right thing to do.” He opened his heart and spoke through authentic, broken words to create a palpable level of meaning and purpose. I connected on such a deep level that I would have said yes to just about anything he suggested. The funny thing is, having worked with Steve and the team for the better part of a year now, being vulnerable is not Steve's “thing”—this was just a truly powerful moment that ignited the incredible momentum we have been building together ever since.

What you don't yet realize is that this series of three simple, everyday moments contained all four of the elements needed to create momentum: a sense of belonging, understanding, meaning, and purpose. The momentum these moments created has birthed a brilliant idea, powerful message, strong brand, growing podcast, and this book.

Designing Momentum isn't just about theory; it's “verbs first.” One of my favorite sessions with 2MM's other co-founder Hank Norman was a spirited exchange during a methodology call on how to present the information in this book. Every time Hank would ask me a direct question, I would begin to give context before I gave my answer. As Hank got increasingly frustrated with me, he finally leaned into his laptop screen and yelled at the top of his lungs, “VERBS FIRST!” We both laughed our asses off, but his point was received excruciatingly loud and clear.

This book will tell you exactly how to use moments to build momentum, in a verbs-first style. I mean, just read the table of contents! These are strategies that I have used successfully to lift myself to another level and generate enough momentum to convince my publisher that it actually works. If you take the time to learn from these strategies and do the work (aaaaaand do the work), I know they will work for you as well.

Designing Momentum is an invitation for you to become the architect of your own success. It's a call to action to reclaim your time, energy, and focus and to design a life filled with meaning, purpose, and unstoppable momentum.

It's time to create a future worth remembering, one moment at a time.

Part IThe Context

1Stop Ghosting Yourself: The High Cost of Mental Time Travel

Momentum Objectives:

Recognize the dangers of fixating on your past and future.

Reframe past experiences for a more balanced narrative.

Battle the illusion of control with deliberate, intentional action.

Understand the real cost of absence and the importance of being present.

YOUR MIND is a mental time machine, allowing you to travel between different eras of your life. One moment, you are reliving a past mistake, replaying a painful memory, or wallowing over a missed opportunity. The next, you are projecting yourself into an imagined future, a land of make-believe, consumed with anxiety about potential failures and worrying about all the uncertainty that comes with the unknown. It is … exhausting. In fact, the constant mental time travel is creating a burden so significant that it is stopping you from engaging in your life and, more important, from accessing the power within the present moment.

“Check out the big brain on Brad!” The infamous line from the cult classic film Pulp Fiction is a fun reminder that the human brain is indeed remarkable, and in the words of Samuel L. Jackson, we all have the capability to be “smart motherf*ckers.” In fact, the brain's creativity and imagination mixed with the ability to project thoughts, feelings, and behaviors onto someone else isn't just impressive; it's potentially dangerous. The brain can trap you in a perpetual cycle of time travel that never lets you experience the present moment. You get pulled into the past, haunted by regrets and the dreaded “what ifs,” while simultaneously being pushed into the future so you can worry about what hasn't happened yet.

Hear me say this: you are not Marty McFly. (That is a reference to the movie Back to the Future. … I got you, Gen Z.) You are not a time traveler.

Loosening the Grip of the Past

Your past, with its Amazon-style warehouse of memories, can be tricky to navigate. It shapes who you think you are, influences your decisions, and provides a sense of how you got to where you are now. While some of these memories are bursting with joy and offer comfort when you need them, others become shackles that bind you to the scabbed-over wounds of the past. These truly painful memories can play on repeat, over and over, becoming energy vampires and preventing you from embracing the moment right in front of you. You become so hyperfocused on what was that you miss out on the potential of what is.

Did you know the human mind has a peculiar tendency to fixate on the negative? It's not just you. It's all of us. Our brains want to dig into the dirty details of past mistakes and shame us for what we should have done differently. This process of reflection, on the surface, appears to be driven by a desire for understanding or even self-improvement. However, it often becomes a self-destructive cycle that traps you in an endless loop of negative self-talk, crushing your self-esteem and ushering in a sense of overall … well … “sh*ttiness.” Wait, was I supposed to spell that with a “y”? I could never get that right. You get the point.

This fixation on the past can manifest itself in a variety of ways. You might hold on to grudges a little longer or relive past hurts so tightly that they poison your current relationships. You might constantly compare your present situation to a false, romanticized version of your past, convincing yourself that life was simpler and you were happier. You might relive the “glory days” of your youth so often that you don't engage in the reality of your current life. You may even sabotage your own success by telling yourself that you are not smart enough, your best days are behind you, or you are not worthy of happiness.

The emotional toll of continuously looking over your shoulder can give you more than a stiff neck. It can suck the life out of you, making you feel exhausted and constantly depressed. It can trigger your anxiety and distort your view of the present moment so much that you miss the opportunity to experience true joy. And then come the physical problems: headaches, stomach issues, sexual dysfunction, lack of sleep, aches and pains, and to top it off, no motivation to want to deal with any of it. Sound familiar?

The truth is you become emotionally unavailable to pretty much everyone. You disconnect, banishing yourself to a private emotional island to play a sad solo version of Survivor. You miss the opportunities to create new memories because you have decided to put on your producer hat and splice together a TikTok-worthy reel of the worst moments of your life just so you can watch it on repeat.

Loosening the grip of the past requires deliberate intention. You need to recognize the patterns of negativity and rewrite the stories you tell yourself about your past experiences. However, it isn't always a pattern of negativity; sometimes it's an “illusion of negativity” that twists your memories and makes it hard to remember the “happy” stuff but easy to recall an embarrassing moment with vivid detail. The mere aura of negativity has the ability to consume your memory and distort your perspective. Whether a pattern or illusion, it requires amping up your ability for self-compassion and forgiving yourself for prior mistakes. It requires letting go. It's time to accept the fact that you can't change the past and you need to hand over the keys to your time machine.

Take a Moment

That's Not How I Remember It…

Let's reframe a past experience to reduce its emotional grip. Write down a painful or regretful memory that often invades your thoughts. What are the lessons learned from this experience, and how has it contributed to your growth? How does this new narrative make you feel about the memory?

It's important to point out that the process of letting go isn't about forgetting or denying the past. It's about reframing your experiences, both good and bad, into a more balanced narrative of your life. You can honor your past without being defined, fooled, manipulated, or controlled by it.

Reframing My Own Past

I know this intimately. In 2012 my eldest son, Theo, was diagnosed with a rare blood cancer called myelodysplastic syndrome that required a bone marrow transplant to survive. On August 12, 2012, Theo received his transplant and began a 263-day nightmare in the Kids Beating Cancer Pediatric Transplant Center at Florida Hospital in Orlando.

While the transplant was successful, Theo developed a horrendous case of graft-versus-host disease, or GVHD, which happens when the donated bone marrow doesn't recognize the transplant environment and begins to attack the body. The only treatment when this happens is to suppress the immune system and hope for the best. If you reach level 4 of GVHD, it's fatal. Theo had reached that level and was seemingly going for a world record. Unfortunately, this treatment places the body at extreme risk of infection. As fate would have it, he contracted a deadly fungus called mucormycosis. The proper treatment for this infection is to radically boost the immune system so the body can attack the fungus. Two necessary treatments with opposite tactics created a zero-sum game. On March 23, 2013, the team of doctors called me into a room and explained that no matter which issue they treated, the other would take Theo's life. They recommended that I call who I needed to and go back to my son's hospital room and say my goodbyes.

I was living my real-life nightmare, and I couldn't wake myself up from it. I walked back to the room desperately trying to think about what to say and how to explain this to Theo's younger brother, Brady. As I sat on the edge of Theo's bed, I gave away every ounce of hope I had based on the recommendation of a room full of doctors. I didn't want to. I knew they didn't have the kind of power to determine who lives and dies. But I did it anyway. And instead of fighting for a miracle, I made the worst decision I have ever made. Against my better judgement, I said goodbye.

Hearing your child quietly whisper “I'm going to miss you, Daddy” is something you don't get over. Ever.

But meanwhile, something miraculous was happening. When I called my younger brother, Todd, to tell him the dire news, he was devastated. To make matters worse, he lived 1,500 miles away and couldn't make it to the hospital in time. So instead, he threw a Hail Mary. He filmed a video of himself holding up 55 different posterboards explaining Theo's case and pleading for help from anyone who could. He never actually said a word in the video. He only played the song “Fix You” by Coldplay as the soundtrack for a desperately needed miracle.

Almost overnight, the video had 500,000 views. We started to receive calls from people all over the world who believed they could help. The callers included brilliant doctors with uniquely specific experience in the challenges we were facing. Come to find out, the zero-sum game our doctors perceived wasn't entirely true. An experimental treatment would allow us to address both diseases at the same time—an option our doctors hadn't been unaware of. Within 24 hours of my brother's video going viral, we had a crazy plan to try to save Theo's life.

It worked.

Theo's body began to recover, and after a few more months in the hospital, he was able to come home. I couldn't foresee the fairytale outcome of my living nightmare. In the moment the doctors suggested to say my goodbyes, my feelings suffocated any other possible option. Sometimes your feelings don't leave room for fairytales.

Those desolate moments can breed the worst decisions. Relying solely on your scattered emotions rather than your non-negotiable values to make important decisions is a recipe for regret. When your emotions run hot, there is a real danger of saying things you don't mean and overreacting to things in order to “protect” yourself from danger. You place any positive impact you hoped for at risk when you don't ground yourself in the things that matter most to you.

My memory of sitting on the edge of Theo's bed and saying goodbye has been the cause of many sleepless nights in the years since. The question inside my head plays over and over in an endless loop: I wonder if he thinks I gave up on him. I beat myself up for years over this. I couldn't celebrate the reality of the moment because I was trapped in the past.

I decided to figure out what my true non-negotiable values were so that if I ever found myself in a similar situation, I would know exactly what to say and how to approach it. Creativity, hope, impact, empathy, authenticity, and family are the values that now guide my actions. Every decision I have made since discovering them has been filtered through these six things. Living with this deliberate intention has transformed my life so greatly that I even wrote a book about it in 2020 called Black Sheep: Unleash the Extraordinary, Awe-Inspiring, Undiscovered You to help others discover their core values and start living a life of deliberate intention.

Unfortunately, I was given another chance in 2021. Sometimes, the treatment is worse than the disease. Theo's body had taken an awful toll over the nine years he battled. While his mind was as strong and witty as ever, his body was weak—too weak to withstand a global pandemic. In early 2021, Theo contracted COVID-19, and I soon found myself sitting on the edge of his hospital bed, having to have the same conversation I did years earlier. This time, I purposefully didn't say my goodbyes. Instead, I spoke my values into existence. Even though Theo was intubated and in a medically induced coma, I talked to him about the creative things he loved to do. I told him I wouldn't give up hope. I spoke about all the people he had impacted and how it had changed their faith and view of what's possible. I also told him how proud I was of him for fighting, and if he felt like he was too tired to fight anymore, I understood and would support him in whatever he chose.

On February 27, 2021, Theo lost his battle.