What Are You Waiting For?

We all have ideas, and we all want to see our plans work out. And yet, many of us do not reach out and attempt to turn our dreams into reality. If they are our dreams and desires, I think we would work harder on our dreams than most of the other things we do in life. It turns out that’s not always so. And yes, there are scientific reasons for that.

When I worked at a contract manufacturing facility, one of my additional duties was working on the Safety Council. In some areas of our plant, we built electronic systems into racks. The racks had casters and could be pushed from station to station. Depending on what the customer ordered, the racks could grow large and heavy.

One of the tasks I had to do was to measure the force it took to start an electronic rack rolling. I also had to measure the force it took to keep an electronic rack rolling once it had started. Anyone who has studied physics will have no shock or surprise when I tell them it takes more energy to start something moving, then it does to keep the object moving.

This brings me to several conclusions about our topic today. First off, it takes a lot more energy to start something, then it does to keep it going. And, our dreams are no different. If we don’t get out and make an effort to start something, our dreams will fade, and all of our plans and up as a could’ve been.

Our first take away is, ‘Nobody will do it for us, so we need to get out there and make our dreams work.’

The next thing I realize in looking at this scenario is the more massive the object you’re trying to move, the more energy you spend in trying to get it started, and you have to expend more energy trying to keep it going. This is true not only for physical objects; it’s also true in trying to bring your dreams to life. Many of the biggest and wealthiest companies on earth started in a garage here or there. They grew slowly until they caught on. Part of this is because it takes more energy, capital, and backing to start a larger idea. Start small, and build your way up.

The second take away is ‘When you start small it takes less initial energy to start moving, and once your dream is moving, it takes less energy to keep it moving.’

The other take away that I got from this is that nobody can start your dream moving except for you. If you want it to get started, you have to put in the initial force to start the movement. If anybody else does it, they are not powering your dream, they are now powering their dream. Those who don’t step up to try, and up only standing on the sidelines, watching everyone else.

The third take away is, ‘If you want it you are going to have to provide the force to make it happen.’

Please consider these ideas when you start to dream.

Thank you for being with me today. I hope to be with you again tomorrow.

Author: Mike Balof

A retired Air Force Master Sergeant, Mike used to lay in bed at night and worry about what would happen if his plant closed or found himself without a job. One day his plant closed. Rather than panic and hysteria (OK, maybe a little) Mike found himself carried away on the adventure of his life. Mike started with the best job he ever had working at Home Depot. He spent 8 years working with job seekers at a local workforce center, helping them to find employment. He then started his own company developing courses, writing books and urging others to follow their own paths into the future. Mike holds a Master of Arts in Adult Education and Training and a Bachelor of Business Management, earned through the University of Phoenix and an AAS degree in Electronics Systems Technology from the Community College of the Air Force. Mike is a member of the Delta Mu Delta Business Honor Society. View all posts by Mike Balof