“Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance.” ~ Steven Pressfield
Resistance.
It’s a powerful force that’s opposed to the path you’re on.
It can come from the environment, from the words and actions of others, or from your own heart. Wherever it comes from, it feels like the message is the same.
Stop.
Turn back.
Unsafe.
Run away.
You may be tempted to follow this guidance because it feels right, because it seems to relieve your pain. Sometimes, this may be the right answer. But in my experience it’s not the right answer in most cases.
Follow your resistance
For me, resistance provides important information and clues about where to go and what to focus on.
I may feel resistance to changing my diet, or ending a difficult relationship, or facing a painful past experience.
I don’t feel resistance when I decide to watch Netflix all day, or eat more than I need, or avoid difficult conversations. If I always chose the path with the least resistance, I would never grow physically, emotionally, or spiritually.
Doing something that’s hard, but necessary almost always comes with resistance. The resistance itself is the ingredient that fuels the growth.
So when you feel the resistance, instead of following your instincts to run, lean in and say to yourself “I’m on the right path.”
You’ll discover a version of yourself that’s more powerful, self assured, and resilient.
Hi Cylon,
You are absolutely right.
I love my ‘system’ for its comfort. Even if it doesn’t help me very much other than to be safe (or stagnant!)
I tend to resist resistance until the problem becomes overwhelming then I begin to deal with it and, by some miracle, it isn’t that awful after all!
Thanks for the walk-through.
Cheers.
Hi Zara, I have to admit…the same thing happens to me! Maybe that’s just the way it’s supposed to be. We learn to lean into the resistance only after we’ve run out of options. And you’re right, the miracle is that resisting is often way harder than the actual issue at hand!
I know I’m late in reading this post, but here I am… Why didn’t I read it back in September? Maybe because I didn’t need it then… It struck a nerve today! Boy, did I need to hear this, and do I need to pay attention to it! Will I? I pray I do… Accepting resistance and pushing back is a critical part of growing and changing for the better.