Ran across this quote in a recent reading:  “Nothing is more deadly than inertia – not even a bad decision is as lethal; bad decisions can be reversed.” Though many logical and moral arguments could be raised in objection to this simple generalization (i.e. some decisions are not reversible), there is at the heart of this thought a profound simplicity: we must act. We must remove from our vocabulary, ” I can’t, I don’t know how,  I don’t have enough money.”, etc.  A simple re-framing of this statements might prove helpful. My grandfather was famous for saying, “Can’t never could do anything.” And, instead of adopting, “I don’t know how”, how about, ” I can learn.” Or, instead of saying, “I don’t have enough”, why not ask, “How can I make more?”

Newton’s first law of motion states that “An object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.” Objects tend to “keep on doing what they’re doing.” In fact, it is the natural tendency of objects to resist changes in their state of motion. This tendency to resist changes in their state of motion is described as inertia.

Apply quickly to our own life. As long as we are at rest, we stay at rest. Never changing, never moving forward – always comfortable with the status quo. We must be unbalanced enough to require action in our life if we are to ever advance in a forward direction. Yet, we resist these forces that come to help emancipate us from our doldrums, which though calm create a deadly situation. Yet, if we will find motion in our life, we can remain in action unless acted upon by unbalancing force. Insert the fact, that as we continue to move forward, we pick up momentum and energy and it requires situations of increasingly greater consequence to deter or slow us from our set direction. And that which would have severely disturbed us earlier, no longer even threatens our course.

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