The Projectile Mentality

Dear lovely people,

During my secondary school days, I had interesting moments studying physics. I remember a class we had on projectiles as if it was taught last night. I learned that a projectile is a body which is propelled with some initial velocity, and then allowed to be acted upon by the forces of gravity and possible drag. Gravity you know, is a force which tries to pull two objects toward each other. The earth's gravity for example is what keeps you on the ground and what causes objects to fall.

I understood from this class that how far a projectile goes from where it is propelled before falling to the ground depends on the intensity of the force exerted on it by the earth’s gravitational pull and other possible drag on it such as air resistance. That said, can we therefore say that all of us who set out to achieve success in life operate like projectiles? Just maybe we can say that isn’t it.

From the beginning, you get propelled to quest for success by your desire to achieve your fondest dreams in life just like a metal ball fired into the air from a cannon. The metallic ball already in motion is progressively being restrained by the earth’s gravitational pull and air resistance until it can’t go any further and hits the ground marking the end of its trajectory.

That drag on your trajectory to success could be inertia on your part, lack of courage, diminishing motivation, negative influence from your family, the media and you name it. Some of the times negative messages from the people around you actually constitutes the gravitational pull that brings you and your dreams to a deadly stop. You have to be aware.

The main difference you have from other projectiles is your capacity to rejuvenate midair. Should the drag on you and your resources become overwhelming, you can bounce back having learned from your mistakes. You can correct course and propel yourself further rather than hit the ground. This, makes you unique.