Greatness and Newton’s Law of Inertia February 2007
“A body at rest tends to stay at rest while a body in motion tends to stay in motion traveling at a constant speed and in a straight line until acted upon by an outside force.”
Sir Isaac Newton
The Law of Inertia
Is there an easy way to achieve greatness? This seems to be an unspoken underlying question whenever we work with groups or individuals. People want a magic key that will unlock their full potential and of course they want it quickly and easily. Meanwhile, they delay the pursuit of their own greatness, becoming “a body at rest.” They’ll admit, “I’ve always wanted to…” or “I’ve got this great idea, but I’ve never…” while their potential remains largely untested.
What keeps you “at rest?” What delays you from pursuing your own greatness project? Most self-help books identify either the fear of success or the fear of failure. Our empirical evidence suggests another reason for remaining at rest: the success of the endeavor we’ve chosen is so grand, that we’re intimidated before we begin. When we think about all the hours and calculate all the work, we become exhausted. It’s easier to “stay at rest” and chat about how much we’d like to pursue our greatness.
The first step toward greatness involves identifying what keeps you “at rest.” Are your reasons — and you’ll probably have more than one ? internal or external? Internal reasons include: fear of success or failure; being overwhelmed by the task; identity issues (i.e., “What will people think of me if I do this?”); or simply lack of drive or desire. External reasons are generally driven by survival (e.g., “I need this job to survive.”); family responsibilities; financial well-being (e.g., “I can’t afford to leave this,” or “I can’t afford to start something new.”) or physical challenges. Your “resting” might be a combination of both internal and external reasons. We invite you to identify your reason(s) for staying at rest. (You will find a worksheet at the end of this article to assist you.) Doing this is essential before taking the next step.
After identifying your reason for resting, you can select the best “force” to apply. What will shove you off your resting place and move you toward greatness? Each of us will answer this in a particular, personal way. A friend regaled us with his story and what moved him. For years he had been thinking about starting his own business but was very comfortable where he was. He had a good job with a reputable firm, was moving up the corporate ladder, and seemed very secure. What he hated was the politics and he wanted to get out, but could not muster the courage. One day, he was summoned by human resources and told that his entire group was about to be disbanded. He would be out of a job. However, since he was such a good employee, they had three job offers for him. He replied he would let them know his decision later. When he realized the company, if they let him go, would offer him a package that he could use to start his business, he took the plunge. He has now been in his own business for a full year and is very successful, but admits he needed the push to get out.
The push we just described is a bit dramatic. We don’t wish that on anyone. However, we do have to identify the push or pull that will move us forward. If you haven’t moved forward because you fear either failure or success, the push might involve examining your life and examining successes you’ve already achieved. This reality check will help you see that you’re a person who succeeds and you can do so again. If your reason is external, you might want to take small steps toward greatness without putting yourself or loved ones at risk.
Far too often we hear the “woulda, coulda, shoulda” talk whenever we bring up greatness. We all have dreams and desires, so why does it seem that only a special few achieve them? What holds you back from at least starting? What is keeping you at rest? Remember: “a body in motion stays in motion.” It’s much easier to keep going once you’ve gotten started. So, start already! Become great.
The Greatness ProjectTM is researched and written by:
Scott Asalone & Jan Sparrow
Copyright © ASGMC, Inc. 2007
These questions are presented for you to answer privately. Their intention is to help you take the first steps toward your Greatness Project. Take time and think about each of these areas. Especially focus on what might inhibit you from initializing your project; this will help you identify what force you can use to energize yourself and your project.
Project Name or Description:
Factors inhibiting initiation of Greatness Project: (choose one or more that apply and describe it for yourself)
§ Internal
o Fear of success
o Fear of failure
o Identity issues
o Overwhelmed with size of project
o Other
§ External
o Family issues
o Financial issues
o Physical limitations (personal or structural – if a building is involved)
o Other
Identify the force to be applied to whatever is inhibiting you so you create the initial movement toward your Greatness Project: (be as specific as possible)
§ Rational listing of past successes
§ Creating overall plan
§ Enlisting the assistance of others: mentor, friend, coach
§ Identifying small, possible, immediate steps
§ Other
What are the steps you can take this week that will produce an immediate result?
How will you celebrate your success at the end of the week?