Any disturbance of the status quo encounters resistance in some form. Engaging resistance with energy capable of overcoming it will eventually alter the status quo and result in a new state. The underlying condition to be recognized is that any situation is inclined (prefers) to stay as is. In technical terms, this natural resistance is called inertia.
Pushing a boulder up a hill can be hard work until we reach the top of the hill and the boulder begins to roll down the other side. If we stop pushing before the boulder reaches the top of the hill it will roll back down. But once it reaches the top of the hill and starts down the other side, it seems to have a life of it’s own and it gains momentum without any effort from us. As a metaphor, this shows the top of the hill as the tipping point where continuing to go forward builds momentum without effort and the status quo is clearly changed.
The valuable insight here is that inertia is a natural phenomenon and meeting resistance with new ideas is normal. The tendency of many to discard new ideas as not workable when they encounter resistance is very often a blatant case of quitting too soon on a good idea. On the other hand, refusing to quit when the odds are overwhelming or the benefits don’t outweigh the costs is a case of hanging on too long. Expecting that there will be resistance to overcome may give us pause about engaging the discomfort we can expect to face, but knowing there is always a tipping point let’s us know we can eventually expect relief.
The immediate challenge in accomplishing any change is engaging and overcoming always present inertia (resistance to change). Sometimes resistance can be avoided but not always and sometimes unexpected resistance is encountered. Whatever may happen, we can expect resistance in some form to be the inevitable companion of change. Confusion arises when resistance is almost nonexistent and seems absent or is massive to the point of being overwhelming. In the first case it seems there is no resistance at all and in the second case there seems to be an impenetrable wall. Both conceal that resistance to change is normal and always present until the tipping point is reached
