Netwon's First Law of Motion states that - An object at rest remains at rest, and an object in motion remains in motion at constant speed and in a straight line unless acted on by an unbalanced force.
Creatures of inertia
We are all creatures of inertia - in our daily lives, work, relationships and goals. Typically, a sudden change will lead to a loss of balance. Let me elaborate:
- Rain in summer with a drop of temperature from 30 degrees to 15 degrees will affect your health. While you will be able to balance out 5 degrees ove a gradual change in temperature.
- A sudden spike in caffeine, eg. coffee in the evening will lead to loss of sleep in the night. But make it a daily habit and your body will adjust.
Inertia works in both directions
Inertia works similarly in both directions - upwards and downwards. Ofcourse there are boundary conditions i.e. rock bottom and plateau after gains.
Gradual changes in status quo happen on a daily basis. Slow changes are usually irreversible and hard to break. They usually happen because of identity shift and a change in how we view ourselves.
Choose when to break the inertia
We should change the momentum and change it consciously when we either hit a plateau in positive momentum or when we realize that it is a negative momentum. It takes a while for the negative habits to reveal themselves.