Inertia

In physics, inertia describes the tendency of objects at rest to stay at rest unless acted upon by an outside force. The same principle applies to behavior. Taking the first step toward any behavior change requires the most energy, and well-established behaviors (those already in motion) tend to stay in motion.

Many of us feel like we are “at rest” when it comes to improving our health. The momentum of long-established habits is working against us, and the amount of energy required to establish new habits can feel daunting.

Without an outside force—a deliberate action—this condition is likely to persist.

“Old habits die hard,” they say.

Zero to One

The hardest part of building momentum is creating any momentum at all. The first step is almost always disproportionately hard.

In business and technology, this idea is often described as going from “zero to one.” Creating something from nothing requires far more energy than improving something that already exists.

When we accept this, we realize that our goal isn’t to get from zero to one thousand—we only need to get to one. That’s a much more manageable goal.

Put It in Motion

If we know getting started requires extra effort, we should make it as easy as possible. Our goal is to identify a simple, achievable action that creates movement.

This could be as simple as:

• Doing 10 pushups twice daily
• Spending 60 seconds focused on your breath
• Delaying your first alcoholic drink of the day by 20 minutes

We aren’t concerned with achieving big things—the goal is to feel success.

Motivation Follows Action

Motivation is the result of action, not the cause of it.

When we experience success, we activate our internal reward circuits and create a positive feedback loop. We feel a small surge of satisfaction—maybe a little pride. That feeling, however modest, is your brain saying, “do that again.”

These internal signals are far more powerful than external motivation.

We use action to create motivation, not the other way around.

If motivation is a prerequisite for action, we risk staying stuck, waiting for it to arrive. But if we create even the smallest amount of progress, it can provide just enough energy to kindle the flame of internal motivation. This gets the proverbial ball rolling.

Repeating Success

If you create one small success, the next step is simple: repeat it.

No need to modify or expand—just do it again. Take the easy win. Celebrate it. Stack small wins. Let inertia start working in your favor.

After a few repetitions, you may find yourself craving a little more satisfaction from your effort. That’s when it’s time to increase the challenge—slightly. Add 10% more. Just enough to trigger the reward circuits again. Get another win. Add to the momentum.

The time to challenge yourself isn’t when you’re getting started, but once you have some momentum. As with physical training, start with conditioning. Give yourself time to adapt to the new routine. Then add a little more.

Let’s say you start with 10 pushups twice daily. Can you repeat it for seven days straight? Amazing! Big win. Now, what comes next?

Stoke the Internal Flame

You don’t start a bonfire by throwing on a log. You start with a single match. Maybe some newspaper or cardboard. At first, the goal isn’t a roaring fire—just a small flame.

The match lights the paper. The paper ignites a twig. The twig burns a stick. Within minutes, the fire grows far beyond the energy provided by the tiny match.

The same is true for progress. Burdening yourself with daunting goals is like trying to light a log with a match. You can burn through a lot of matches and barely leave a mark on the log. Worse, each extinguished match feels like failure—giving you less motivation, not more. Inertia begins working against you.

When taking the first step, the goal is to get comfortable with how success feels. Your objective is to get from zero to one. You’re far better off rewarding yourself with small wins than aiming too high and having to overcome a string of defeats.

Don’t try to light the log. Find some dry paper. Light something that is likely to catch fire.

You don’t need dramatic transformation. You need one small action you can complete today. Then repeat it tomorrow. The momentum will build itself—but you must strike the match.

Get from zero to one. Everything else follows.

As always, thanks for reading. I’m truly happy you’re here.

All the best,

Nate