Escape Velocity

Have I explained Escape Velocity yet? I haven't actually crafted a speech on escape velocity, but it's in my plans.

I believe much of the stress and sorrow in this world comes from people (like me, like us) who are still living with things left undone. Here I have captured almost all of you, because I'm talking about anything that you have thought about, or yearned for, that you haven't tried or done yet. For some of us it could be a simple thing, like learning to dance, or taking that drive down Skyline Drive when the leaves change, or throwing the baseball with your son. Anything that you think about doing that has crept into your mind more than once (read repeatedly), but you haven't done yet for some (any) reason. I am also talking about the big things! Like your career, for instance. For me, I am a General Manager in a car dealership (or was), but all I want to do is to become a professional speaker.

The problem here, for all of us, is that it really isn't that easy to accomplish those things. Yes, even the little ones. For instance, MaryAnn and I are taking dancing lessons. We're having fun doing it, but it would help greatly if we would practice. However, the only time we can practice is in the evenings. Now, here's the rub: we wake up at 5:00 am, and I get home at 9:00 pm. At 9:00 pm, we're practically falling asleep. It seems impossible for us to go downstairs and practice, even for 15 minutes. We are all so busy in life, doing what we're doing, that to do anything new seems impossible, insurmountable. That was just an example of a little thing. Now think of your career. I was gainfully employed, highly paid, but I was working 5-6 days a week, 12-13 hours a day. How do you work on switching careers when you're working so hard to excel at your present one?

That's where Escape Velocity comes in. Very simply, if you are to do ANYTHING NEW; any change small or large, you must employ escape velocity. That means that for a very short period of time you must be 'consumed' by this change, this new venture, and nothing must keep you from attacking it.

Escape Velocity is actually a term I stole from the space program. Escape Velocity is the velocity a rocket needs to escape the Earth's orbit. Think about it. A rocket is launched and expends most of it's fuel just reaching the outer orbit of the Earth. Once it is there it can use the gravitational pull to orbit the Earth with little or no fuel at all.

Think about your job, or a favorite hobby of yours. At first, when you were learning, it was hard, challenging, and took lots of time. Once you learned what you were doing, it became easier to do and do well. You could go to work today and float through the day without expending much energy and still get everything done. You couldn't do it every day, but you still can do it.

Escape Velocity means that for you to accomplish anything new in your life, you must mentally decide that you will employ all of your powers to the goal of learning this new thing or changing your old habits or carving out the time to get it done. The great news is that once you do this, once you've escaped the gravitational pull of the rest of your life (or life's issues in general), then and only then it won't take all of your strength and willpower to change your life. For instance, for me to become a professional speaker I must immerse myself in this new career, learning everything, making new connections, and filling every waking moment with a great effort to achieve success. Once I have begun to achieve that success, it will become (or seem) easier to do. I'll know more and have become more of an expert in my field, and I'll be able to do more, be more successful, without the escape velocity effort that it took to break into the field. Not unlike quitting smoking, for instance. Those first 21 days are murder for a smoker. After that it starts to get easier. After 6 months, it's a breeze - your in orbit.

Ok, that's escape velocity. I've rambled too much but wanted to explain it thoroughly to you. I guess it's to give you a brighter outlook when facing new challenges: your herculean efforts that are required in the beginning will not be required in the long term. It's a quick burst, which ANYBODY CAN DO. That means ... YOU CAN DO ANYTHING YOU CHOOSE...

yes you can