What is "resistance" and how it helps you achieve more

A sneaky obstacle that you can use to propel growth

Have you ever felt scared or hesitant (unsure) about going through with a project or a new side hustle? As you start digging deeper into it, you feel more and more intimidated that you are not cut out for this? Or maybe even your personal goals like losing weight. You feel like it's too much work and you'll never be able to get there. Say hello to resistance, a common obstacle to meaningful work.

What is resistance?

Simply put, resistance is the hesitation you feel when you're pursuing a goal. It just LOVES to pop-up when you're doing something especially challenging and meaningful. Its there to tell you that you are entering unfamiliar and potentially dangerous territory and you need to get back to safety. That's just how our brain works. It wants to keep us safe by keeping us in a predictable, least stressful environment.

What does it look like?

It can look like different things depending on what you're doing and how invested you are. For example, it can look like procrastination. You know you need to practice what you learned in that new writing course, but since its uncomfortable to try something new and break your usual writing patterns, you put it off, hoping that the courage will strike at some point and you will finally begin.

It can also look like prioritizing easier tasks so that you stay "busy", which can make you feel like you're working really hard but in reality, you're just avoiding the work that needs to be done.

Resistance may also show up as something much more intense like hopelessness or giving up. For example, you may have always wanted to learn how to code. But once you start digging in, you are overwhelmed by how much there is to learn. Intimidated by how unfamiliar all of it is you simply resort to "I'm probably not cut out for this".

Anything that's stopping your form taking action in the desired direction is resistance. It happens to the best of us.

Why is it a good thing?

Well, here the good news. Believe it or not, all of the above things are a good sign. The good thing about resistance is that it only shows up when you're doing something uncomfortable, unfamiliar and difficult. That ugly place where beautiful growth happens. Which means that its a sign that you're heading in the right direction. You're growing, evolving and getting better. How awesome is that? Its like your very own ambition compass.

How do you beat resistance?

Now all of this is easier said than done because resistance can be incredibly tempting to give in to. We must learn to practice not giving into resistance. And the best way of doing that is to keep going. When you're doing that uncomfortable thing and you're feeling that temptation to stop or distract yourself, know that it's resistance. Acknowledge its presence, let it know that you see it and then take it along for the ride into the unfamiliar. Lean into the discomfort. Keep going. Keep pushing. Keep focusing. Keep writing. Crank out that extra rep. Study for 15 more minutes. Focus for another 5 minutes.

That is how you use resistance to your benefit.

Don't get too comfortable though. It'll be back the next time you do decide to do something difficult. And when it does, you'll know what to do.

Leave a comment and let me know where you’re facing resistance these days and how you’ll tackle it the next time it shows up.