The first piece is so tiny–just 5mm tall and a millimeter thick–it requires tweezers to place it on the floor.
After that, Stephen Morris walks to the far end of the row. He hoists the last item into position with a gym-worthy grunt – and for good reason; it weighs around a hundred pounds.
He sets things in motion with an anti-climactic “here we go” and a light tap on the eensy domino. The last in line–that 100 pounder–thuds to the floor seconds later.
Granted, “Domino Chain Reaction (geometric growth in action)” lacks the captivating visuals of YouTube’s “Cats and Dominos” genre offerings. 😀 Nonetheless, Professor Morris’ post-topple commentary is intriguing:
“That was thirteen dominos. If I had twenty-nine dominos, the last domino would be as tall as the Empire State Building.”
Is this simply scientific bravado? As someone unwise in the ways of math and math-like stuff, it’s hard to know. I’ll take his word for it. Earlier in the video, he explained that once set in motion, each domino can topple a successor 1.5 times larger than itself.
After he fells the dominos, he expounds on the physics part of it. And the physics part of it is nothing short of astounding: the miniscule amount of energy put in at the beginning of the sequence is amplified by about two billion by the end.
Two billion. With a ‘b.’
So how does a domino video relate to goals and, ultimately, to success?
I’ve always searched for the secret to success, but this video prompted rethinking that entire premise.
Maybe there is no ‘secret’ to success. Maybe there’s simply a sequence.
***
I’m a firm believer that habits are the building blocks of success. I feel if I control most of my daily actions (i.e., my habits), my goals will be in reach.
Habits lead to success. And I’m nothing, if not a creature of habit.
Fitness-wise, I’ve succeeded at times and failed miserably at others in engaging in habits that supported my goals. There have been periods I was laser-focused and consistent for months, or even years. There were also times I’ve was sporadic, at best.
But why? I want to be successful. I know habits are important. I actually *like* routine. So why have I veered off course so often?
It doesn’t make any sense. At least it didn’t, at first.
Eventually, I identified one action that made a huge impact in whether I stayed on-track or careened off-the-rails: working out early in the day.
When I work out early–and for me ‘early’ is before 3pm–I more often stay on track. The interesting thing is, I don’t stay on track only with exercise; I stay on track with nutrition…with mindset…I even make better progress toward work and personal goals.
Early workouts are ‘domino one’ for me. Getting in a workout early in the day sets positive energy in motion. It’s easy to see my ‘good’ stretches have that one factor in common.
What about the other times, though? Can they be explained simply by absence of that ‘first domino;’ or is something else at work?
When I started my new job a couple of years ago, my normal morning gym timeslot didn’t work with my new schedule. Instead of adjusting to being unable to work out in the morning and developing a clear alternative plan, I simply drifted and tried to get a workout in when I had a free moment and felt like doing so.
There’s the explanation.
Non-action=action; or, more accurately, the choice for non-action is an action.
Prior to my workouts dwindling to zero, there was a choice. It was the decision NOT to develop a ‘Plan B’ and just passively hope things somehow worked out (pun intended).
I stopped my workouts without a clear plan to restructure my routine. Domino one. Next, I stopped tracking my food. What’s the point? I’m not working out. Then my clothes got tighter. Soon, I couldn’t run as far or as fast. I got frustrated and eventually stopped running. My self-image suffered. My desire to get back in the gym plummeted. I stayed home more days; more days turned into most days, which became every day. Boom, boom, boom. Those good habits fell, one-by-one. Or, viewing it from a different perspective, the bad habits compounded.
My behavior wasn’t so much a case of being off-track as it was being on the wrong track, and picking up steam.
You see, the domino effect simply illustrates how efforts are multiplied; it doesn’t discriminate. It’s just as effective in amplifying the results of negative actions as it is positive ones.
Since I am a creature of habit, I definitely built momentum – in the wrong direction.
I realized the key is identifying the first positive domino. The action that starts things in motion in the right direction, toward the desired outcome. Once in motion, positive momentum builds.
That’s what I’m chasing: a positive chain reaction. The first action is the catalyst. It sets everything in motion. Getting my workout in early is my goal. It’s *the* goal. I try not to get overwhelmed by all the subsequent steps required to get me where I want to be. I focus on domino one. Once it’s knocked down, the rest will fall.
I’ve realized that there is no ‘secret’ to success. There’s a sequence. Find your first domino, then set things in motion.
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Author Info:
Jennifer Johnson
I’m not a trainer or coach. I’m working on becoming a decent over-50 athlete. I write to discover what I think about challenges I’m facing or experiences I’ve had along the way. I don’t know who said it first, but many have said it since: “Write the book you need to read,” and I’m doing just that. My articles are my thoughts at the moment, not advice. They’re ideas I’m exploring in my quest to continually improve. YMMV. 😉 My fitness journey is on Instagram at JennJohn501 and 37xFit. My articles live here: http://www.37xfit.com.