Day 22: Newton's First Law

An object at rest tends to stay at rest. An object in motion tends to stay in motion.

In college I studied enough physics to choke a goat, but I never envisioned applying Sir Issac's observations to my own financial habits. This law is the substance behind the force we commonly call inertia and there are countless examples of its application in our world. If one were to change an object's inertia, one would need to apply some outside force on said object. For instance, when a car's break pads apply pressure and friction to the rotor, retarding the wheel's rotation, the car's inertia is reduced. Apply enough pressure and friction and eventually the car's inertia is reduced to zero. Simple, right?

This morning I made a payment on a debt that was 615 days past due. When I looked at the date on the last payment I realized it was from the month before I separated from my ex-wife. I think my old pal Newton would agree that was a significant outside force acting against the momentum of my debt repayment plans. Talk about pressure and friction. Sheesh.

I think the law holds true in both directions. Now that I'm moving in the direction of becoming debt free and gaining some financial stability I think it's easier to stay on top of it. And the more energy I put into the system as it rolls along, the greater my overall inertia. I just hope it doesn't turn out to be a big money merry-go-round.  Those things always make me dizzy and sick to my stomach, especially when people are standing around it in a circle, spinning it faster and faster. Nope, it will be strictly linear momentum for me. Maybe someday I can even start to see some exponential returns.

Before I flog this dead horse of an analogy any further, I'll sum it up by saying it was good to get the ball rolling again today. I think a part of this battle is to not backslide once the "fast" is over, so I'm hoping that relating my spending habits back to things I already understand, and can visualize, is going to be a useful tool in staying on track.

The good news is, at least I sent a payment on the damn thing. It was a small victory when I sealed that envelope. I used to get some real satisfaction out of sitting down every month and squaring away bills and setting things in order. I suppose that suits my engineer's brain, but I've been so preoccupied with other things I had forgotten what a simple pleasure that really is. It was a good reminder.

PS: I'm aware of some of the conflicts between Quantum and Newtonian Physics. Stay tuned for my next post when I relate my income level to the sub-atomic particle known as the quark.