An object at rest tends to stay at rest, an object in motion tends to stay in motion. Are you suffering from the law of inertia?
Picture a soccer ball sitting still at the centre of a pitch. Unless someone kicks it, the ball will continue to sit in the same spot. Once the ball has been kicked into the air, it will tend to keep going.
If you are in the habit of flopping down on the couch after supper with a snack in one hand and the television remote in the other, the law of inertia suggests that you’ll have a tendency to continue in that behaviour. To go for an evening walk after your meal, rather than collapsing on the couch, you’ll have to overcome inertia.
This introduces another critical component of the law of inertia – an object at rest tends to stay at rest, an object in motion tends to stay in motion UNLESS ACTED UPON BY AN OUTSIDE FORCE.
In the case of the soccer ball, once kicked into the air, it will continue until the force of gravity brings it to the ground where it will continue rolling until frictional forces slow it down to a stop. In the case of you and your couch, a fire may force you from your couchy comfort but, instead of an external force, motivation of an internal nature would be ideal for getting you in motion.
You have the power to overcome your habitual behaviour. Mel Robbins did.
At 41, Mel thought her life was falling apart. Her marriage was on the rocks, her head was in the bottle, and her finances reflected her lousy motivation. With a firm press of the snooze button, the first decision she made each day was to stay in bed, not only hiding from her life, but often causing her kids to miss the school bus.
Watching TV one ordinary, life-changing day, Mel saw a rocket launch into space after a five-second countdown.
The next morning the alarm clock rang at 6 a.m. and the first thing I felt was dread. It was dark. It was cold. It was winter in Boston and I did not want to wake up. I thought about the rocket launch and I immediately felt like it was stupid. Then, I did something I had never done before – I ignored how I felt. I didn’t think. I did what needed to be done.
Instead of hitting the snooze button, I started counting.
Backwards.
5..4..3..2..1..
And then I stood up.
That was the moment I discovered the #5SecondRule.”
~ Mel Robbins, The 5 Second Rule
Today, Mel Robbins is a leader in the personal transformation movement. At the root of her phenomenal impact is, The 5 Second Rule: “The Moment you have an instinct to act on a goal you must 5-4-3-2-1 and physically move or your brain will stop you.”
Ben Stein said (and Robbins would whole-heartedly agree), “So many fail because they don’t get started – they don’t go. They don’t overcome inertia.”
How are you holding yourself back? Who could you be if you just acted on your next BIG idea whether that is a cure for cancer or a new dinner recipe.
Find out.
5-4-3-2-1-GO!
The first step is the hardest. Once you get rolling, you’re unstoppable.
Paul Larmer is a mindfulness coach, personal trainer, and professional speaker. Get your ball rolling. Book a session for yourself or your team,