Remember that the first step is the hardest. The good news is that once you initiate movement, the law of inertia helps you to keep moving in that direction and to continue taking action
Have you ever tried to persuade someone to do something for their own benefit only to be left bewildered by their apparent disinterest? Have you presented a case where the benefits were so obvious you believed your prospect would act immediately, only to be shocked by their stubborn resistance? Have you given a presentation emphasizing all the rewards for taking action only to be met with flimsy excuses and procrastination?
All financial planners and investment advisors have experienced a scenario similar to this. Imagine you have a client meeting with a prospect holding a large cash balance stagnating in a chequing account. When you meet with them you’re pumped, feeling amazingly confident, you’re articulating yourself brilliantly and your presentation is demonstrating all the reasons why they’d be better off in the long-run if they invest their money.
At the close of the meeting the client is appreciative. They seem to understand your points, they realize the benefits, but when it comes time to taking action they hesitate. “I have to think about it.” “Now isn’t the right time.” “I’ll have to talk it over with…”
In all probability, you can list a dozen common excuses you’ve heard from prospects as to why they’re not taking immediate action despite the obvious benefits. More often than not, those seemingly justifiable excuses are simply rationalizations to avoid a subtle fear. It’s human nature for our mind and body to act on autopilot, creating habits and rituals which become our comfort zone. When alternatives are introduced, even good ones, the mind goes into a subconscious fear mode and creates rationalizations to justify avoiding something unfamiliar. Excuses are thoughts created by the mind to justify staying within your comfort zone. These rationalizations are tricks of the mind to appease our greatest enemy to self-improvement: inertia.
The law of inertia states that it is the tendency of an object to resist a change in motion. When there’s a goal you want to achieve, one of the biggest hurdles you’ll face is overcoming inertia in order to get yourself moving in the right direction. People tend to resist change, even when presented with favourable opportunities.
Why?
Achieving things that are important to you often requires that you tolerate some discomfort, frustration, and perhaps even some brief psychological pain. You have to accept that this is a part of life. It’s similar to strengthening your body. When you lift weights you’re actually tearing your muscles making yourself immediately weaker until you recuperate and rebuild yourself stronger.
Once we understand that the law of inertia naturally predisposes us to resist change, we can use some of the tricks on the previous page to overcome it. Once we understand how to conquer our own inertia then we can use them to persuade others to overcome theirs.
Most procrastinators overestimate how uncomfortable they’ll feel. Once someone overcomes inertia they often experience positive feelings such as pride for accomplishing their goal. They’ll have a sense of effectiveness and be open to doing more.
When we understand inertia, and our own struggles to overcome it, then we can understand a prospect’s reluctance to act. By focusing on the unpleasantness of the task, they’ll do anything to avoid it. By focusing on the positive effects, they’ll do it. The next time you meet with a prospect that’s hesitant to act on your advice remember these tips to help them.
Before you can persuade prospects to overcome their inertia consider using these tips for overcoming your own. Is there something you know you can do to improve your practice but you’ve been putting off? Have you been presented with an idea that will reduce your workload while increasing you profitability but you’ve been reluctant to make the change?
Try using these tips for yourself and thrive. Remember that the first step is the hardest. The good news is that once you initiate movement, the law of inertia helps you to keep moving in that direction and to continue taking action. You’ll be grateful you did.
The law of inertia naturally predisposes us to resist change so here are some tricks you can use to overcome it. Once we conquer our own inertia then we can use these tips to persuade others to overcome theirs:
Shock yourself into action
When you want to make a change you have to change course. You can shock yourself or prospects into taking action by asking questions such as: “What are the consequences if I don’t get started?”, “How much money am I losing by not getting started on this?” or, “What would that money mean for my family or my retirement?”
Secure short term wins
Produce enough quick wins to energize the change and create momentum. Instead of training immediately for a marathon, start with a 5K run. Instead of your prospect investing the whole amount, start with a bit.
Dangle a carrot in front of yourself
One of our greatest motivators is the pursuit of pleasure. Choose an appropriate reward to give yourself once you’ve reached a certain goal. Let the carrot give you the kick start you need to get going on a goal which will later become self-motivating with its own momentum.
Create a clear vision of what you’re trying to achieve
Sit quietly with your eyes closed and imagine what you want your goal to look like. Imagine how it would feel. Continue in this way until you’ve created a vivid vision of what you want and how it feels. Then open your eyes and allow this vision to pull you out of your state of inertia and get started on your goal.
Don’t blow tasks out of proportion
Stop telling yourself that your success in life hinges on the outcome of this one action that you have to take. If you do this you’re going to put so much pressure on yourself that you’ll be looking for any excuse to avoid taking the necessary steps.
Break tasks down into smaller pieces and set deadlines for each subtask
One of the main reasons why people procrastinate is because the project is so big they don’t know where to start. This makes them feel overwhelmed. What you need to do is break the project down into small pieces so that they feel manageable. By setting deadlines for smaller tasks, you can make sure that you work steadily on the project instead of leaving everything to the last minute.
Stop telling yourself that you have to be “in the mood” before you act
You have to take action toward the attainment of your objectives whether you feel like it or not.
Repeatedly ask yourself, “What’s next?”
You don’t have to wait until you have a perfect, detailed plan of how you’re going to achieve your goal before you begin to act. Simply determine, “What can I do right now to move forward, even if it’s just by a bit?”
Have a guide, mentor or consult with an expert
Find someone who’s done what you’d like to attempt, or knows how, and follow their path.
Have someone hold you accountable
You’re much more likely to avoid procrastination if there’s someone holding you accountable.
