Inertia

Bodies at rest tend to stay at rest!

This is what my school PT instructor (with ambitions to be a physics teacher) used to bark at us as we sat in the change room contemplating an energy sapping session of star jumps and burpees outside in the cold winter weather.

[box type=\”shadow\”]\”Life leaps like a geyser for those who drill through the rock of inertia.\”

– Alexis Carrel[/box]

And, albeit perhaps unwittingly, my teacher had pinpointed one of the most powerful obstacles to human joy and happiness!

Simple advice

I\’ve been asked many times to share one simple piece of advice for anyone who feels they are not living to their true potential. And here it is …

Break your state!

What do I mean by that?

To understand this better it\’s useful to reflect on a key principle of physics, something called inertia.

The First Law of physics

In his so called First Law of physics, Isaac Newton defined inertia as:

[An] innate force of matter, [which] is a power of resisting by which every body, as much as in it lies, endeavours to preserve its present state, whether it be of rest or of moving uniformly forward in a straight line.

The emphasis is mine as it is these four words that I want to draw specific attention to.

Motivated to survive

You will appreciate that, at the most fundamental level, our primary motivator is survival. We have inherited, from our caveman ancestors, a set of powerful protection mechanisms aimed at ensuring our survival.

Central to this \’protective shield\’ is an inbuilt resistance to change. Change represents a threat to the status quo – and the status quo is that we are alive and thus surviving!

We aspire to much greater heights

However, whereas our ancestors would look back on each day as a triumph of survival in the face of constant threats posed by hungry beasts and the harsh environment, we tend to take survival as a given.

We aspire to much greater heights than simply survival.

Because of this our inbuilt protective mechanisms have become burdensome, a form of \’overkill\’, obstructing our ability to reach for greater self actualisation and joy.

Stuck in a rut

Inertia – and the inability to overcome it – dominates the lives of many who might describe the feeling as \’being stuck in a rut\’. It is characterised by wanting something different while doing the same things and following the same routines day in day out.

Bad news and good news

The bad news is that the longer one remains in the \’sameness trap\’ the more difficult it gets to extract oneself. Perceived fears and anxieties about change become steadily more deep rooted!

The good news is that it actually takes very little to break your state … and when you do so on a regular basis, inertia of a different kind takes over and change – for the better – becomes self perpetuating!

Simple examples

Let me offer some simple examples:

• If you wake up at 7am every morning, set your alarm clock for 6.30a.m. tomorrow and spend the extra half an hour thinking deeply about the life you really want to lead.

• If you drink two cups of coffee every morning before you leave for work, replace the coffee with fresh juice occasionally and reflect on how different it tastes.

• If you drive a short distance to the station or bus terminal, walk instead and focus on breathing in the fresh morning air and the feeling you get from it.

• If you always bath in the morning, try taking a shower instead and note how different it feels.

• If you drive a certain way to work or to your kids\’ school each day, take a different route. What comes to mind as you drive this unfamiliar way?

• If you watch a certain TV show each and every evening, resolve to miss it one day. Meet up with a friend or talk with your family around the kitchen table instead. How does that feel?

• If you tend to spend every Sunday morning catchup up on sleep, forego the extra hours for once and take yourself and your loved ones out for breakfast somewhere.

• If you\’re always too exhausted to exercise, take the dog for a short but brisk walk around the neighborhood. Make a point of politely greeting everyone you pass. Reflect on how this feels.

Small but important actions

These are small actions that require little willpower, but they represent deliberate and important efforts to \’break your state\’ and as you get used to making regular changes to your routine you will start to enjoy the experiences and the sensory stimulation that comes with doing things a little differently.

In short, you\’ll be well on your way to a more stimulating and happier life!