Hello from the road, joyful community!
After 4 beautiful months of staying in our families’ driveways in Western New York, Noah (my husband) and I are back to being on the move!
Last Thursday evening, we said a sad goodbye to my parents as we began our trek to Baja California, Mexico with planned stops in Pennsylvania, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.
I have to confess: it was hard to say goodbye to my parents, and it was almost just as hard to leave the comforts we’d gotten used to, from free laundry to unending hot showers. Our families have afforded us a life of camping luxury we’ll definitely miss!
As I look back on the last four months, I recognize that we nearly fell into the tempting tentacles of inertia, which beckoned us to stay put in comfort.
Noah and I always knew we’d get back on the road at the end of the summer, but I’d be lying if I said we didn’t discuss the possibility of buying a piece of land and settling down. Fortunately, that fleeting idea was just that - fleeting - but it reminded me of how easy it is to stay put in what feels most comfortable.
Inertia in everyday life
In physics, inertia is described as the tendency to “remain in a state of uniform motion unless acted upon by some external force”.
In our everyday lives, applying an external force to overcome inertia shows up when our bodies push back into the seat as we brake a moving car or when we apply force to push a shopping cart into motion.
To our detriment, inertia also shows up in our minds, such as when we:
Try to form new habits: Did you snooze your alarm clock this morning? I know I did! That’s our brain’s version of inertia, preferring to stay comfy and warm, versus developing a new routine that seemed like a great idea the night before.
Procrastinate - What item keeps getting pushed on your to-do list to the next day and then the next? Procrastinating is your brain’s version of inertia, wanting to avoid a task that might be feeling scary, overwhelming, or unnecessary.
Make decisions - What decision are you stalling to make regarding your career, a relationship, your health, or any other part of your life? Not deciding is your brain’s version of inertia, wanting to avoid investing mental effort in ensuring you get it “right”.
Pushing past inertia takes work. Our brains would much rather conserve the energy that it takes to do something uncomfortable, scary, uncertain, or just plain different.
Interrupt inertia with a kick in the pants!
Sometimes, to interrupt our brain’s inert state, we need a good kick in the pants.
A friend of mine recently expressed that he was secretly disappointed he wasn’t part of a mass layoff effort at his company. “I know I should be grateful I still have a job,” he shared, “but getting laid off would have forced me to stop being so comfortable and go do what I actually want in my career.”
My friend clearly recognized his state of comfortable inertia. He also acknowledged that it would be much easier for him to create change in his life if something outside of himself forced him to do it.
His situation reminds me of the kick in the pants I gave myself when I first decided to move into my camper.
I knew it would be much easier to stay in my apartment life than to sell my belongings and move into 84 square feet. So, six months before becoming a nomad, I gave myself a kick in the pants by forking over a non-refundable $5,000 downpayment on our camper. I was terrified, but I knew that I needed an external motivator that wouldn’t let me back out. I needed to simply DO IT.
An invitation: Let’s interrupt your inertia together!
I’m announcing something exciting this coming Thursday!
It’s all about helping you gain the mental tools you need to overcome inertia, strengthen your courage, and give yourself the (loving) kick in the pants you need to move in the direction of your dreams!
If you’re intrigued and want to know more, here’s a clue: It’s a chance to learn and practice the many tools I talk about in this newsletter from how to honor your boundaries, to getting comfortable with negative emotions, to going after your dreams WITH fear and before you’re ready, all while also taking care of YOU!
To learn about it, just keep an eye out in your email tomorrow, Thursday, September 7, 2023.
I’m so excited to share this opportunity with you!
P.S. September Open Hours are OPEN!
Are you experiencing a work transition (or know someone who has)? I’m extending Open Hours through September to support those who are experiencing a transition at work (desired or not).
“Open Hours” provide a safe space to share, vent, reflect, and process big changes at work (like a layoff, being fired, or quitting). In every single session (I’ve now run nearly 20 of these!) participants have left feeling more hopeful, self-aware, and/or energized than they felt at the start of our calls. In every single one.
Don’t miss out on this week’s FREE opportunity to share, vent, and be coached!