1. They listen to and place their trust in the wrong people. Other people’s opinions are a dime a dozen. And when these opinions aren’t coming from a knowledgeable position, they’re worthless when it comes to advancing your initiative. There are coaches with a slew of initials behind their name marketing themselves as game changers, but are merely promoting their own claims, advice, theories and philosophies, sans specific action steps. If you’re taking advice from a coach, trusted friend or colleague, ask yourself: Does this really make sense to me? If I follow this advice, do I envision it getting me to where I want to go?
  2. They pursue perfection at the expense of achieving success. Pursuing perfection in any undertaking is an exercise in futility and it saps energy and speed. If something is worth doing, sloppiness is never acceptable, but imperfections are. Imperfection is humanizing and we’re perceived by our other fellow humans much more favorably when we’re comfortable putting our fallibility on display.
  3. indecisionThey fall prey to analysis paralysis. People who can’t overcome inertia and get moving are often stuck in a perpetual cycle of “getting ready to get ready.” But no one ever has enough information when beginning their pursuit of something. So the key is to just get going. Information will accumulate as a result of continuing to advance forward.
  4. They excessively weigh pros and cons. Deliberating something to death, nitpicking advantages vs. disadvantages and dissecting every imaginable pro and con is no more than an exercise in procrastination and a lack of discipline. Micromanaging every detail of what we want to accomplish is not only a major time waster, it also keeps us stuck in “theoretical” mode – when we really need to be in “operational” mode.
  5. They fear feedback. Regardless of how many or how few you intend to reach with your work, you’re going to get feedback, and not all of it will be positive, for sure. And if your work is at all provocative or contrarian, naysayers will swarm about you like bees. And this too – the more successful or recognized you become, the more critique you’ll receive. Accept constructive, objective feedback as something well intended, ignore the outright negativity (tough at first) and sail on.
  6. They don’t invest in themselves. People who are perpetually stuck and unable to get their lives in motion continually play the same life tapes over and over. They take few, if any risks, eschew forging new and rewarding personal, social and professional relationships, try nothing new, take on no new challenges. This is status quo living and is inertia’s best friend. Moving forward means changing the “what is” to the “what can (and should) be.” This means making the best investment for the highest ROI possible-in themselves.
  7. They don’t ask for help. Whether it excessive pride, concern for appearing weak or the fear that others will conclude they’re unable to solve their own problems, some people will simply never ask for help. They cling to the belief that they should have the answers to their problems or dilemmas only to find out that they don’t, yet they continue to rely on themselves exclusively. There are countless numbers of coaches and mentors willing to guide us – but we have to ask. And the truth is, those who are in a position to help us, loved to be asked. Showing vulnerability is not a flaw, it’s an asset – particularly when it gets you unstuck and moving.
  8. They have an inflated sense of self-importance. These types of people are quick to disengage from interaction because those they are involved with don’t measure up to their standards – which are often unreasonable and lofty. In conversation, they will elevate their “way of doing things,” and won’t invite input from others because it couldn’t possibly be of value or have any merit. Because they can be so overbearing, they drive away people who are often in a position to help them. They’ll remain immobilized because of an “I know best” attitude, when in truth they’re  the weakest players on the field.

Avoid these pitfalls and you’ll be waving bye-bye to inertia. Time to get moving!