Overcoming the Force of Inertia

 

Just before we proceed into other important discussions, let’s look at something very critical. It is the force of inertia. In our life journeys, as we try to make sense of what we go through and make them beneficial to us, we face certain stumbling blocks that challenge our progress. These stumbling blocks, among other things, blur our vision as we tend to see only the negative side of things, dull our hearings and make us hear only fearful tales that send shivers down our spines, and develop cold feet, all in a bid to pull us back from achieving our goals.  I have put all these obstacles or stumbling blocks together as one. I call them the force of inertia.

In this chapter, we will discuss this force and how to overcome it. But first, let’s understand what it is. We learn this force in Physics. If you study science, you might have probably come across it. It is a force common to all objects that remain at rest. Objects don’t display this force except there is an attempt to alter their state; at which point it is called resistance. In other words, the force of inertia only acts when you are ready to push a resting object into motion. If you like to keep things at the status quo, the force of inertia won’t bother you. There’s no problem; no disturbance. But the moment you are ready to make a change, then be really ready for some resistance, which is this force of inertia that would be acting against all the efforts that you would be making to bring about positive change in your life.

All of us grew from different environments and background. We’ve had different experiences and exposures about life. All these have contributed to our beliefs, opinions and ideas. And many things that we do today are hinged on these factors. We talk, act, and react because of these things.

If some of these beliefs and ideas that we have developed over the years are not good, we may have a challenge changing them because it is not always easy changing things, especially with us, human beings. And if we find it difficult connecting the dots, then, it’s even harder. From our lifestyle to our habits and things that we’re already used to in our comfort zones, we find them difficult to change.

But why is this so? Why is it difficult for we human beings to change? There are several reasons for that. First, it is because of our nature. Human nature is designed in such a way that it resists change. This resistance to change in the environment by our body is what we call homeostasis. We can also say it is the maintenance of the internal environment, despite changes in the external environment. Human body regulates itself and puts all the physiologic factors in a relatively narrow range despite constant change in the environment.

For instance, there is always constant change in external temperature, but the body temperature is maintained within a narrow range. Also, there is constant change in pH and oxygen level in the external air, but there is a relatively constant level of these factors in the blood. So, the body keeps resisting the change despite what is happening on the outside. So, this quality is also expressed in human behavior. Humans resist change in their environment. They resist change in their job. They resist change in their habits. And part of this, is also the fact that the human brain is designed to resist change. It avoids anything that changes the status quo and increases the tendency for survival. So, the brain uses this change resistance to increase human survival and avoid threats or danger.

The second reason why change is difficult is because force is required. For every change that is made, force is required. Newton’s first law of motion made us understand this. It states that an object will remain in a state of rest or at motion unless it’s being acted upon by an external force. So, that means it’s only force that can bring change. And it doesn’t matter if the change is positive or negative. Negative change easily happens because there are many negative forces in the world. But positive change hardly happens because there are not so many positive forces in the world. So, to make a positive change, you’ve got to be intentional about it, and apply the right force. We’ll still discuss more on that later in this book. The force that is required varies depending on the kind of change you want to make.

The third reason why change is difficult is because, most times, it brings discomfort. Have you ever been in a situation where change happened to you and you felt so uncomfortable or inconvenient? It is because change itself is always associated with discomfort or pain. There is something your body is already used to, if there is a change, it would feel it and most times, reject it.

For example, if your boss called you and asked you to change your location of job. Maybe where you were working before was nearer to your house, but the new place is farther. Most likely you would not like the change, unless more money is added to your salary. And probably with that, you might still prefer where you were working before, given that you are already used to it. So, making a change is not always easy to do.

And as a matter of fact, the first thing human brain thinks of whenever a change is mentioned is the discomfort or pain associated with it. So, you won’t think of the benefits first. The first thing you would think of is the negative, which is quite understandable.

The fourth reason why change is difficult is because the result of positives is mostly not immediate. If you make a positive change in your life, maybe you change your habit, to see the effect of the change, you may need to wait for a while. That is unlike negative change that is mostly immediate. If you are going to the gym and you are working on your body weight and burning excess fat, the change that you have made to your lifestyle might not produce immediate results, but it’ll surely come.

The problem however, is that a lot of people want the result to be now. They want immediate gratification. So, if that is not happening, they are not willing to make the change, and it becomes difficult for them to do. So, every change requires time to come to effect and produce results. And depending on the kind of change, that also determines how much time would be needed to see the results.

The fifth reason why change is difficult is because there is need for sacrifice. There would be many things required to make a change before it happens, especially in the case of positive change. Again, if you want to change your lifestyle and start going to the gym, apart from the internal force of decision that you apply to force yourself and go to the place, you also have to invest your time and money. Even if what you are given is free, you still have to sacrifice other things. Change doesn’t happen alone. It happens with many other things. So, while thinking of making a positive change in your life, you have to also think of all the resources you have to put in place before that change can happen.