I just looked up inertia on Wikipedia: “… the resistance of an object to a change in its state of motion […] inertia means that an object will always continue moving at its current speed and in its current direction until some force causes its speed or direction to change.”
Inertia is everywhere, in all physical objects and in every one of us. This is not necessarily a bad thing. For a long time I relied on inertia to get me going in the morning so I could get to the job where I earned enough to get through the day so I could get up the next day and do the same thing, again and again, day after day.
Even though in my daydreams of wealth and generosity that wasn’t exactly what I pictured my life to be, I accepted it. Routine can become comfortable. It’s common to develop a kind of psychological inertia, to know what to expect, to go along doing your thing, surviving.
Whatever path you are on, you can become driven by inertia…right up until you get that gnawing feeling that you’re going nowhere fast. In that case, guess what? You are. That’s inertia for you. But, if you have ambitions, things you want to learn about, places you want to go, people to meet, a sense that you want to be part of a greater good, a desire to earn more money, well, then inertia becomes a force you have to overcome.
Going back to our definition of inertia, changing a body’s direction or speed (or both) requires an outside force. When it comes to people and inertia, however, that force can also emerge from within. It starts with a desire but also requires making a decision and following it with action.
It sounds simple, and it is. But simple doesn’t equal easy. You may have the desire to change but not the will. That’s no longer inertia at work. That’s something called laziness: perhaps the single greatest obstacle to achieving your goals. That’s when coasting is no longer passive and has become an active form of resistance to change.
To put it bluntly, you can’t be lazy and successful. Lazy entrepreneurs are the 90% who fail.
Spend some quality time with yourself. Listen to your heart. Figure out the top five things that you know you can change to take your income to the next level. (You will know what they are because you know yourself better than anyone else.) No matter how difficult or challenging they may seem, put them on the list. The more resistant you are to completing a task, the higher up on your list it should go. Work on each of the five every day until they are completed. And, if working on these things means getting help, seek it out. Talk to an expert. Get an education. The responsibility is yours. Just remember, inertia is at your side whether you like it or not.
Very well said Jay. I totally agree with you. People are so much accustomed to what they are doing that they dont even think of anything else. Infact the society programs us in a way that we are not able to think outside the box. People use phrases like “hanging in there” ” surviving” “its going on” ” as long as it pays the bills” These are the most dangerous phrases. Society programs us to be an average. The other day I was sitting in the E train going to work there was a young college girl sitting next to me studying her notes. Her notes said ” ..newyork is a melting pot but there is still racism reported in other states” As soon as I read it I turned my face around to the other side. I couldn’t believe that colleges and universities program the young generations in such a -ve way. Well! We can not teach everyone but I wish I could tell and educate people and help them program their brain for success rather than laziness of going to work everyday.
Sincerely,
Harprit Singh