Inertia

“Objects at rest tend to stay at rest” - Newton’s First Law of Motion

“What if I could show you how to outperform your competition and get more clients, even 10x your business?” This, or something similar, is a message I get almost every day. These missives come in the form of emails (“you have a good design and it looks great, but…”) or on LinkedIn (“we specialize in marketing for financial advisors…”). As I write this, I have ten versions of this in my spam folder.

Lol.

These folks have no idea who my competitors are. I have one, and only one, competitor. It has no online presence. No marketing budget. No credentials or designations.

Who is my competitor?

Inertia.

I don’t compete with other financial professionals. The obstacle in my way, what prevents me from helping more clients, is embedded in Newton’s first law of motion.

Inertia.

To get a different output, different inputs are required. Something has to change. Energy must be expended.

I cannot stress enough how big a deal this is.

Energy must be expended. There is a cost to energy. Getting out of bed in the morning has a cost. Taking the dog for a walk - cost. Going out for a run? Ooh! Cost!

Keep in mind our brains are hardwired to conserve energy. Any proposed activity has an energy cost, which is a cause for concern for your brain even before your thought is fully formed. So yes, your brain is very much like your great-uncle who meets every new idea with a raised eyebrow and an “I don’t know about that.” Our brains will actively work against new habits or changes in order to keep us safe.

But Albert Einstein was right: the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

Don’t confuse “safe” with “same”.

Sometimes the only way to safety is to change, to move, to grow. It has a cost, but there is also the possibility of a payoff in the form of a better outcome, a better outlook, a better life.

Simon Sinek is an author and speaker who encourages readers and listeners to start with why. If you really want to succeed, find your why. This makes sense. Connect to this internal spark. But you should also connect to your internal fireman, that part of the brain working hard to thoroughly douse your flame.

How might this show up? Well, for me, my brain will try to convince me that the most important and life-changing action I can take in those moments is to clean my closet. Seriously. My brain literally tells me to hide in my closet. 

Change is hard. It will cost you energy, time, sometimes money. And our brains will make it harder.

As you aspire to make change in your life, connect to your motivation, your why. Then, write down all the ways your brain will undermine you. You are both arming, and disarming, yourself.

If you want something different, do something different.

Now go be amazing!

Kelly