The Impulse, Momentum, Regression Cycle: A Wake-Up Call for a World Stuck on Repeat

The Impulse, Momentum, Regression Cycle: A Wake-Up Call for a World Stuck on Repeat

By Babajide E. Ikuyajolu 

There’s a rhythm to life that we don’t often notice, a cycle that repeats in our finances, governments, businesses, even in our personal goals.

I call it the Impulse, Momentum, Regression (IMR) Cycle.

It’s simple: something sparks attention (Impulse), everyone jumps on it (Momentum), then things slow down, lose efficiency, or collapse under their own weight (Regression).

And the truth is: we see this everywhere. Our world runs on this cycle, sometimes gracefully, sometimes like a drunk driver bouncing from curb to curb.

 

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The World’s Favorite Bad Habit: Staying at the Peak

Let’s be honest. The “Peak” is overrated. It’s loud, expensive, and unsustainable.

Take the United States, often considered the “standard” for progress. From Silicon Valley innovation to trillion-dollar consumer spending, the country has been on a peak for decades. But look closer: rising healthcare costs, insane student debt, and a population that’s burned out but still proudly shouting “hustle harder.” The rest of the world looks at them and says, “Wow, they’re ahead.” But what if they’re actually at the point just before regression, running on fumes, confusing noise for progress?

Or look at China. It’s often painted as either unstoppable momentum or terrifying regression. The truth? It’s somewhere between late-momentum and early regression, too many empty apartments, too much debt, and too many cities built faster than people could fill them. Yet, people still argue whether China is about to collapse or take over the world. Maybe neither. Maybe they just need to breathe.

Meanwhile, countries like Rwanda and Vietnam are sitting quietly in what I’d call Prime. They’re not flashing wealth in everyone’s face, but they’re building solid systems, improving healthcare, logistics, and digital infrastructure. That’s the beauty of Prime: no one sees you coming until you’re suddenly the model everyone copies. Even Burkina Faso is quietly prioritizing food security and local production, planting the seeds for momentum instead of chasing shiny peaks too early.

 

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When Regression Pretends to Be Progress

You’ve seen it. You’ve probably lived it.

It’s when you watch the stock market rally, feel the urge to jump in at the top, then watch it crash and swear you’ll never invest again. Or when crypto goes from “the future of money” to “where did my money go?” in a single week.

It’s when fuel scarcity makes everyone queue with jerrycans, hoarding more than they need, creating the very shortage they fear.

It’s when housing prices skyrocket so fast that buying an overpriced shoe box feels like an achievement.

And then there’s the short-let industry. It was meant to be a hospitality breakthrough but got treated like a land grab. Investors rushed in, bought five to ten units, and ended up with high maintenance costs, empty nights, and burnt-out managers. The smart ones? They kept one or two units, invested in guest experience, fast Wi-Fi, spotless rooms, breakfast trays, and built waiting lists instead of debt lists.

This is what early regression looks like: chasing quantity over quality, thinking scale equals success, and discovering too late that momentum has turned into an anchor.

 

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Governments, Please Read This Twice

Governments love to measure progress in GDP growth, infrastructure, and foreign reserves. But if the price of rice, rent, and transport keeps climbing, what exactly are we growing?

If a government really wants to create lasting momentum, here’s the secret:

1. Make food, education, and healthcare affordable.

2. Secure roads from rural to urban areas so food doesn’t rot before reaching cities.

3. Keep inflation in check so people can actually think beyond survival.

When survival stops being the daily obsession, citizens unlock something powerful, cognitive bandwidth. That’s when societies start inventing faster than ever before. Think about post-WWII Japan, which went from rubble to becoming a global technology powerhouse in less than 30 years. They created an enabling environment and the result was decades of sustained momentum.

 

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Churches and Communities: The Sleeping Giants

Here’s a slightly uncomfortable one: religious institutions hold enormous economic and emotional power, but they often use it mostly for expansions and events. Nothing wrong with a beautiful building, but what if churches became job-creation engines?

Imagine congregations where business owners post openings and hire qualified members first. Imagine mentorship programs that help struggling families rise. The result? People thrive, give more, and the church doesn’t just grow in size, it grows in relevance. That’s an impulse with long-lasting momentum.

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The Big Question: Are We Brave Enough?

The IMR cycle is not a theory to be admired. It’s a mirror, one that shows where we’re stuck.

We’re addicted to chasing peaks, then surprised when the crash comes. But the real goal should be to stay in Prime, that sweet spot where growth is sustainable, resources are used wisely, and we’re not burning ourselves out just to look successful.

If we choose to stay blind to this cycle, inequality will keep widening, cars will keep clogging roads, housing will keep getting out of reach, and we’ll keep congratulating ourselves for sprinting toward the next burnout.

But if we learn to recognize when we’re about to regress, and make bold moves to reset, governments by reducing essential costs, businesses by setting realistic rates, churches by empowering members, we create waves of progress that last.

 

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The IMR Cycle isn’t just a concept. It’s a challenge:

Will we keep running until we collapse, or will we learn to pause, reset, and grow smarter?

If we get this right, we won’t just make progress we’ll make history.