Here’s a secret: I love Sir Isaac Newton.
Particularly, I love Newton’s First Law of Motion which states that an object in motion tends to stay in motion unless acted on by an outside force. Similarly, an object at rest will remain at rest unless acted on by an outside force.
Have you always wanted to do something but haven’t pulled the trigger yet?
For me, I had always wanted to be a consistent writer. I’ve authored and coauthored books and written articles every now and then for most of my career. But I had never developed the discipline to write regularly for my online audience.
Until two years ago.
This is my 130th article. There are many weeks when I think, “I don’t know what to write about!” But I write anyway. Of course, not every post gets a lot of traction – but I keep at it.
Sometimes I get a little discouraged when a post doesn’t seem to do well.
Then, I’ll get a note from a client, an email from a future client, or letter from a friend reminding me why I write:
“I just wanted to let you know that I really enjoy reading your weekly newsletter each week. I find myself reading it as soon as I see it even though I have a hundred other emails in my mailbox.”
“Thanks for your post this week. It really resonated with me.”
“I’ve been following your writing and think your message would really be good for our conference.”
Here is the lesson: Good things happen to those who act.
Maybe you’ve always wanted to learn a new skill such as music or woodworking. Maybe you’ve always wanted to become fluent in a foreign language. Maybe you’ve always wanted to train for a marathon or triathlon. Perhaps you’ve had a business idea that you haven’t fully explored. Or maybe there’s a habit, like weekly leadership meetings with your team, an internal office book club, or a mentoring program you’ve created but you haven’t started yet.
None of those things can ever happen without motion. Without an external force, things stay at rest. Always. It’s a law of physics.
Do you have the self motivation to start something new?
Do you need an external force?
What will it take to get you to take action on a new idea?
Don’t wait for the perfect time to begin. Just start moving.
