Are you falling prey to Newton?s first law of motion with your home business? Make it a point to overcome inertia.
Earlier this week my son?s school had a STEM fair. I have a great interest in STEM subjects, particularly science, since I was a physics major in a former life, and I started out as a science writer, reporting for Phys.org and occasionally providing front-of-the book pieces for Discover magazine.
My son decided to build a model rocket and create a display detailing how Newton?s three laws of motion apply to its performance. As he researched the three laws and we discussed how they applied to his model rocket?s flight into the heavens (well, at least 500 feet into the heavens), I thought about how sometimes Newton?s first law of motion can apply to your home business.
Inertia and Your Home Business
Newton?s first law of motion can be stated as follows:
Every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it.
When talking about Newton?s first law, the concept of inertia is uppermost. Basically, if you are moving in direction and you are in motion, you are likely to remain in motion and heading in that same direction as long as there is no outside force acting on you to change the situation.
In my home business, I find that Newton?s first law has a lot of application. It?s fairly simple to keep doing the same thing over and over again ? moving in the same direction and at the same pace ? when it comes to your home business. You get in a comfortable groove, or you get used to something working, and you just keep moving along.
However, getting stuck in your rut and following the same direction isn?t always what?s good for your business. If you are concerned about the state of your home business and what?s next for you, it?s important to overcome the inertia that?s keeping you moving forward. Sometimes that means you need to make the effort to change, in effect applying external force so that you can improve your home business.
Boosting Your Home Business
If you keep doing the same thing with your home business, you can expect the same results. In fact, there is a good chance that you can expect deteriorating results. Newton?s first law is also subject to the reality of physics. An object in motion is acted upon by friction (which can act as an external force). Friction slows an object down, and without additional force applied to keep it moving, its speed will be reduced until, eventually, the object comes to rest.
The same thing can happen with your home business. If you keep doing the same thing, without changing things up for your home business, there is a good chance that you your home business will deteriorate. The reality is that every home business comes with challenges, and markets change. If you assume that you will keep moving at the same speed and with good results, without applying any external force, you will find your home business floundering over time.
Every so often, evaluate your home business. Do you need to make changes to keep your home business moving forward? Look at changing conditions, and also look at how things are going with your business model.
Not too long ago, I realized that keeping with the client model wasn?t the way for me to maintain my success long-term. While client work is an important part of my home business, and I?ll probably always do it, the reality is that I also need to add a component that focuses on my own brand. As a result, I wrote a book, and I?ve been working on my own blogs, and I?ve been trying to build that aspect of my home business. It?s different from the way I did things to start, but it?s been a good experience ? and one that helps keep my home business diversified.
Don?t let inertia trick you into doing the same thing with your home business. Pay attention to what?s happening with your home business, and be aware that just because things are going well right now, it doesn?t mean that it will always be that way. To ensure better results over the long haul, you need to keep applying external force.
