Change doesn’t come easy.
(What don’t come easy? Answer: It. Source: Ringo.)
For me, one of the most powerful obstacles to change has been inertia.
So What’s Inertia?
Having daydreamed through high school physics, I long thought that inertia was the force that keeps an object (or, more philosophically, a person) at rest. Example:
Little Artie suffers from inertia in high school physics. He just won’t get going.
Of course, I was only half right. Actually, as you surely already know, inertia is the resistance an object has to a change in its state of motion.
So it’s inertia that resists movement only if you are already at rest. But, if you are moving, it’s also inertia that resists any change in your direction or speed.
So What?
The distinction is important because people that are moving fast are rarely criticized for suffering from inertia.
For me, change was elusive because I was always moving quickly and pretty darn functionally.
But I was suffering from inertia.
What Inertia Feels Like
Inertia feels like the fear of change.
It sounds like this first draft for a country western song:
I wonder if I should change my life.
I wonder if I should change my life.
But, wait, what if I change my life and the new life isn’t as good as the old life?
Chorus: Wait, then I’ll feel pretty dopey.
In fact, what if I change my life and the old life was a lot better than the new life?
Chorus: In fact, then I’ll feel…
Hey, what if I change my life and I find out that I have just walked away from a great old life?
Chorus: Hey, then I’ll feel…
I mean, really: what if I change my life and only then I learn that my old life was the best life on the planet?
Chorus: I mean, really: then I’ll feel…
Is it just me, or do you sometimes find yourself humming this tune?