Change is motion. It’s movement towards a different way of seeing, believing, and being. It is also a process. No matter how much we would like to speed things up, skip a few steps or somehow just land at the end, there are no short cuts. There is, however, a natural progression to change. It has a formula and rules to follow. This is good news because this means that we can all transform areas of our lives that do not suit us, So let’s join Newton under the apple tree and discuss the Laws of Motion or Change.
First Law of Change: A body has a tendency to stay at rest or in its uniform motion unless acted upon by an outside force.
Ah yes, good ole inertia. The first step in making any change is gaining the desire or intention to do so. For most of us, we can go on living a certain way for so long…until the day we can’t. We can’t predict when that day will come. We don’t know when something will open our eyes to a new way of living, to possibilities we didn’t know before. Breaking free from the inertia of our old way of seeing things happens in an instant. Let me explain. We can know something needs to change for a very long time and never feel motivated to do anything other than bemoan the fact that yes, I should lose some weight or yes, I should finish that degree. We can live like that for years until that moment when we just can’t. Some force has acted upon us and it is no longer comfortable to stay at rest or maintain the same old line. We overcome inertia and start to move.
Second Law of Change: Acceleration is parallel and proportional to the force applied or the more you act, the more you accelerate.
Every step, no matter how small helps you gain momentum. Get clear about
the direction you are heading. Make sure it’s right for you, not what others think is right or what you think you “should” be doing. Face the direction that moves you toward your definition of who you are, who you truly are. Then when you have your bearings…act. Consistent action, regardless of size, will accumulate and increase until you become an unstoppable force and your continuing on the path to change becomes easier, which leads us to…
Third Law of Change: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction or If A affects B, then B also affects A.
There is a strange phenomenon that happens when we make positive change in one area of our life, usually it spills over into other areas. Maybe we decided to live healthier by exercising more and eating better. Engaging in this self care often translates into our taking better care of ourselves at work and in our personal relationships, which in turn, reinforces our decision to to take better care of our health and may result in our viewing our self worth differently, causing us to change what we think we are capable of accomplishing in our future. One small change in one area may redefine who we are. Our view broadens and we no longer remain small, but move into this new self that feels like it’s been waiting all along. The struggle lessens. Because we change A, B now seems possible and because B is now possible, A becomes just part of the natural course of things, a natural part of the process.
And here we are, back at the beginning of the natural process of change. Begin today to overcome inertia, to take a step, no matter how small towards your future and to trust that as you do, you will gain the momentum necessary to become the you the world needs you to be.
Action = Alchemy
“Change and growth take place when a person has risked himself and dares to become involved with experimenting with his own life.” –Herbert A. Otto
Newton spent a large portion of his life in the pursuit of the precursor of chemistry, Alchemy. Alchemy was the belief that by combining the common materials of earth, water, air and fire, any element could be created with the main aim being to turn things like lead and other metals into gold. I think he was onto something. Do not doubt that out of the elements of your life you will be able to create gold. No matter your circumstances, your limitations, your particular struggles, you carry within you a unique formula for brilliance. So today, find your own personal formula, apply the elements special to you and begin the process of transformation.
Live True To You 