Inertia got you down?

This weekend we had a fun family outing to a drive-through zoo, where you feed the animals out of your car.  The best part was seeing (and smelling) the animals up close and personal. The worst part?  Trying to get everyone out the door and on the road on time.

 

Back when I was a competitive swimmer, the hardest part of practice was getting there and getting in the pool.  Once I was in the pool and actually swimming, it wasn’t so bad.

 

These two seemingly unrelated events have one thing in common – getting started was the most challenging part.  Be it work, play, working out or starting a project, often times we procrastinate because of the immense inertia we feel that keeps us stuck.

So how do we breakthrough inertia?  First we have to understand it.  Let’s take a look at Sir Isaac Newton’s First Law of Motion. It states that an object, not subject to any external force, will move at constant velocity.  This means the object will continue down whatever path it’s on and won’t change speed or direction until some larger force interferes.

 

This is true for humans too.  In order for you to change the course or speed of the path your on, you need a larger force to interject.  Don’t underestimate how LARGE this force needs to be – it takes a LOT of energy to break through that initial inertia. 

 

Next time you are struggling to get started and take action, don’t deplete your energy by getting down on yourself.  You simply haven’t summoned up enough energy – yet.  Instead, try something energizing, such as doing some jumping jacks (my personal favorite), giving yourself a positive pep-talk, or visualizing yourself already at the finish line.

 

The great news is, now you’re on the taking action trajectory, it’s a heck of a lot easier to stay there!