Hey Rollers,
Inertia.
A word from physics that quietly describes more of our lives than we care to admit. Understanding this word can help us better understand ourselves.
It’s the tendency of an object to resist change – to stay at rest, or to keep moving in the same direction, unless acted upon by an external force.
There are three types:
1️⃣ Inertia of rest: an object stays where it is until something moves it.
2️⃣ Inertia of motion: once moving, an object keeps going until something stops it.
3️⃣ Inertia of direction: an object keeps moving in the same line, unless something changes that.
YOU are the object.
Simply put, inertia is our tendency to do nothing, or to keep doing the same thing, even when we know something needs to change. It wears the mask of peace, but often it’s just stagnation in disguise.
I know this, because I’ve been there.
Everything looked fine from the outside. I was training, working, doing life. But underneath, I was coasting down a path that no longer served me.
I was fine, and fine is where inertia hides best. It was this realisation that scared me into action.
To wrap that up in a single little truth bomb: sometimes life’s biggest danger isn’t the crash, it’s the coast.
The good news is inertia can be interrupted. It does not have to be our master.
In physics, all it takes is a force to break it.
In life, that force usually shows up as discomfort.
- the restlessness of knowing you’re capable of more
- the moment when something that used to fit suddenly doesn’t
- the quiet nudge that says, “this isn’t right for me anymore.”
That discomfort is your catalyst. It’s an invitation to interrupt your inertia.
It’s why I love the concept of Misogi. Choosing physical challenges that act as deliberate disruptions.
Because sometimes you don’t need to wait for life to apply the force.
You can become the force.
That’s Smart Toughness: not charging forward recklessly, but choosing to move consciously and deliberately, when standing still has started to cost you.
So ask yourself:
Where have I mistaken stillness for stability?
Where has comfort quietly turned into inertia?
(Go on, answer these right now…)
And more importantly: what force will you choose?
👉 One that life throws at you.
👉 Or one you decide to apply. A spark of courage, curiosity, or commitment that shifts your trajectory.
The physics stays the same either way: motion begins when force meets resistance.
So be the force.
Interrupt your inertia.
And let momentum do what it does best.
Until next week.
Keep rolling.
Justin 👊
Take Action in 3 Minutes:
Find where inertia’s showing up in your life.
👉 Where am I resisting movement or avoiding change?
- Am I standing still when I should move?
- Am I moving when I should pause?
- Am I heading in a direction that no longer fits?
Now, choose your force.
- External: a challenge, a stretch goal, a deadline.
- Internal: a decision, a boundary, a conversation, a question.
Because every act of force, internal or external, breaks inertia.
And once you’re in motion, momentum takes care of the rest.