Every January starts the same way.
New goals. Fresh motivation. Big commitments.
And yet—by February, most of it stalls.
Not because people lack discipline.
Not because they didn’t want it badly enough.
Most January goals fail at the same point—a point most people don’t even realize exists.
There’s a moment after you commit where risk is highest.
You’ve invested energy.
You’ve told people your plan.
You’ve started—but momentum hasn’t caught up yet.
In aviation, there’s a concept called the Dead Man’s Curve.
It describes a zone where altitude is low, speed is insufficient, and options are limited. If something goes wrong here, recovery is difficult—not because of skill, but because of physics.
January creates the same condition in life and leadership.
High commitment.
Low momentum.
Minimal margin.
That’s the danger zone where most goals quietly die.
Most people try to push harder through this phase.
More willpower.
More intensity.
More pressure.
But that’s not how momentum works.
Momentum isn’t created by effort alone. It’s created by systems that reduce friction while progress is still fragile.
When goals fail early, it’s usually because:
The failure isn’t personal. It’s structural.
The early phase of change is not about speed—it’s about survivability.
The goal of a system in January isn’t peak performance.
It’s staying airborne long enough for momentum to build.
Good systems in this phase:
Once momentum exists, acceleration becomes easier. But without a system, most people never make it that far.
If something you committed to this January already feels heavier than expected, pause before you push harder.
Ask a better question:
What system would help me survive this phase instead of forcing my way through it?
Momentum doesn’t come from wanting more.
It comes from designing better conditions for progress.
That’s where real change begins.
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Chris Wilson
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Chris Wilson is a leadership keynote speaker and former aviator, and the creator of the Momentum Shift Framework. He helps leaders and organizations navigate change, make clear decisions under pressure, and restore forward momentum.
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