Resistance

How are your 2020 resolutions going?
What about goals you have for yourself? 
Anyone feeling a little stuck?

Resistance is the force working against you to implement change, jump into a creative endeavor, or accomplish a goal. Can you feel it holding you back? Resistance is a form of fear of the unknown. "Let's just keep things as they are," says your brain.

But, life is too short to keep things as they are forever. We are hard-wired to grow and explore, to try new things, to create, and to come alive. Giving into resistance causes us tell ourselves we are failures, become bitter and resentful, or find unhealthy outlets for our unused creative energy. 

"You know Hitler wanted to be an artist. At eighteen he took his inheritance, seven hundred kronen, and moved to Vienna to live and study. He applied to the Academy of Fine Arts and later to the School of Architecture. Ever see one of his paintings? Neither have I. Resistance beat him. Call it overstatement but I'll say it anyway: it was easier for Hitler to start World War II than it was for him to face a blank square of canvas." When I read these words by Steven Pressfield in his book The War of Art, I was appalled to think that the atrocities Hitler committed could have been avoided if he had become an artist. Resistance can turn us into monsters if we don't fight it. This is Pressfield's theory, but it certainly had me thinking about the cost of denying our dreams. 

Learning to fight resistance is a full-combat endeavor. It takes practice to build up your muscles. But, this week I want you to notice where resistance speaks to you in its cunning ways and how you can begin to fight back. 

A Conversation with Resistance

When you notice you are hearing the voice of resistance, it might sound like an inner critic, self-doubt, or someone telling you to stop trying.

Engage in a conversation with this voice and regain your power to overcome resistance.
You might say things similar this:

I see you Resistance. 
I hear your disbelief in my abilities, but I am going to keep trying. 
I know you don't think I can do this, but I know I can.
You always try to stop me by making me doubt myself.
I'm not playing that game with you any more. 
I'm committed to the long haul. 
Nothing is going to stop me this time. 
I will ask for the help I need. 
I am growing and learning, please don't interrupt that. 
I see you trying to stop me, but I am keeping a promise to myself.
I will push through this resistance and keep going toward my goal.
I may not be perfect, but I get better every day. 
I am stronger than you think I am. 
Get out of my way.

It is okay to get a little angry with this force working against you. Some people personify it as an enemy. Resistance is your fear sabotaging you and keeping you from moving forward. Learning to overcome it is the key to achieving your intentions. 

Living in Kansas City has certainly be fun lately. The Chiefs earned their win in Super Bowl 54. Watching the game got me thinking about not losing hope and overcoming resistance. Our offensive players pushed through resistance time and time again. Sometimes it meant pushing hard through it and other times it meant finding a way around the block and sometimes it meant handing it off to a teammate. All of those can be lessons to us as we face our own forms of resistance.

I couldn't find a photo of Frank Clark #55 from Sunday's game, but this photo shows us what going up against resistance looks like. Bring this image to mind as you push against what is holding you back.

Don't let it stop you. The world needs your contributions. 

Sending you love,

P.S. I highly recommend reading Steven Pressfield's The War of Art click here to read more about it on Amazon. Fun fact for golf fans, Pressfield is also the author of The Legend of Baggar Vance. 

Frank Clark photo credit: David Eulitt/ Getty Images