Happy Sunday.
Welcome to the next part in our Momentum series: Velocity. This is the second variable in our Momentum equation.
Lately I’ve been down a rabbit hole on artificial general intelligence and superintelligence.
Every article, paper, and podcast lands on the same point: the pace of life and learning is accelerating faster than we can process.
And it’s not just technology.
💡 New companies are being built & funded overnight.
🌱 Teams scale and contract in months, not years.
🎯 Entire industries are being redefined in real time.
Just this week, I hired a part-time researcher whose last role had been cut due to AI-led downsizing. We’re already testing how her expertise can be supported by AI.
In a year or two, the role I hired her for may no longer be needed—and we’ll all adjust again.
The sense is clear: everything is speeding up.
Which raises a real question:
👉🏻 Do we try to keep up?
👉🏻 Or do we learn how to maintain our own velocity?
The thing is, velocity isn’t about frantic acceleration.
It has two parts: speed + direction.
Speed is scalar → it tells you how fast.
Velocity is vector → it tells you how fast and in what direction.
::Your 5 Minutes Starts Now::
Part 1: Direction + The Quality of Your Energy
As business owners, we know that direction is about more than just “pointing somewhere.”
So, how do we start to understand our own direction?
Step 1: Confirm your direction is aligned.
Here are two articles we’ve written on the process: [Link 1] [Link 2]
Step 2: Look at the energy you bring to that direction.
Energy has two forms:
🌱 Potential energy (stored) → curiosity, interest in learning, leaning in — rather than avoiding, hiding, or pretending something new isn’t here.
⚡ Kinetic energy (released) → decision-making, action, and output. When it’s clear and aligned, it compounds. When it’s rushed or reactive, it scatters.
Direction, then, is not simply a line on a graph.
It’s energy, expressed.
When we pause to clarify where we want to go, we can align the energy we have with the direction it’s moving us toward.
Part 2: Know Your Own Speed
To track our speed, we need to get curious about our own natural rhythms.
✨ When do you accelerate best?
✨ When do you need to hit the brakes?
✨ What time of day are you most efficient going fast?
✨ When is it better to slow down?
In Navy SEAL training, there’s a common refrain:
“Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.”
It’s a radical shift for entrepreneurs conditioned to equate speed with progress.
Speed for the sake of speed is not progress—in society or in business.
It’s a stress response.
It pulls you into reactivity, strips away smoothness, and makes thoughtful decisions harder to reach.
The deeper practice is finding your pace amidst the ever-shifting external environment. Only from here can sustained velocity emerge.
Part 3: Quantify Your Velocity
Here are the questions we ask our clients when we quantify their velocity through the Momentum process. Take ten minutes with these questions.
They’ll quickly show you where your Velocity is clear—and where it may be scattered or stuck.
With a specific goal in mind, give yourself a score of 1-10 for each of the following:
🌱 Potential energy
How much energy do you have stored toward your goal (curiosity, learning, readiness)?
1 = I feel empty / checked out
10 = I feel fully charged and curious
⚡ Kinetic energy
How much energy have you already released (clear, aligned action)?
1 = No forward action yet
10 = Consistent, aligned execution
💡 Speed
What is your current pace?
1 = Stalled out
10 = Moving at a strong, sustainable clip
🧭 Alignment
Are the factors contributing to your speed tied to aligned action?
1 = Mostly noise/distraction
10 = Everything is aligned with what matters most
🎯 Focus
How sharp is your focus?
1 = Scattered, reactive
10 = Clear, grounded, on track
✨ Rhythms
How well are you working with your natural rhythms (daily, weekly, monthly)?
1 = Ignoring my natural energy cycles
10 = Fully aligned with my optimal rhythms
Add up your six scores (maximum 60) and divide by 6. The result will give you a single number between 1–10.
That’s your current Velocity score.
Part 4: What’s Next
If you’re being honest, your score might be on the lower side. That’s totally normal. If it were already an 8-10, your goal would likely be accomplished—or very close.
Your score isn’t about judgment — it’s about awareness.
Velocity shifts week to week, season to season.
What matters is noticing how energy, speed, and direction interact for you right now.
In two weeks, we’ll move to the next part of the Momentum equation: Resistance.
If Velocity is what carries us forward, Resistance is what slows us down — sometimes for good reason, sometimes out of fear.
Hold on to your score.
In a few notes, you’ll see how it interacts with Resistance, and together, we’ll map out what’s fueling your momentum and what’s holding it back.
For now: stay smooth, stay aligned, and notice your pace. ❤️