Resistance Points the Course

Sometimes, the path of least resistance is the best course. If you’re driving to see family for the holidays, it probably makes more sense to take the highways rather than the “off road” path. Often however, the difficult path is exactly the one we need to be on, particularly when we’re working toward a big goal. This is because resistance serves as a compass, pointing us straight towards our target. It makes intuitive sense; nobody expects to achieve anything great without encountering difficulty. So, if you’ve got a grand ambition that you’ve been putting off because you don’t know where to start, first identify where the greatest resistance is and then, move toward it.

Resistance prevents action. It doesn’t take place when we’re simply contemplating an idea. It’s the “doing” that is stifled. We come up with myriad excuses to justify not taking action. If your goal is to write a book, you’ll find that there’s a million excuses to put off writing. In other words, there is a force working to prevent you from writing. That force is resistance.

If you dream of starting your own business and have a vision, a plan and desire but you still haven’t taken action, you’ve encountered resistance. Sometimes it’s fear, sometimes it’s uncertainty but it always exists within the confines of our minds. Though it’s born and fed in our minds, its action that will ultimately defeat it. With that in mind, here are a few tips to help you overcome resistance and begin (or continue) your journey towards achieving your dreams.

• Take small steps – Often, people fail to take action because the goal seems so big and insurmountable that any action we take won’t make a dent in it. They justify the lack of action by telling themselves that they’ll begin when they’re in a position to make a bigger impact. They say things like, “I’ll do it when________.” There’s always some future threshold that they say will trigger action toward the goal. The problem is, it always seems to be a moving target.

 
“I’ll do it when I’m done with school.” When school is done, other responsibilities take over and action gets punted further into the future.
 
The cure for this is to continually take small steps. Sure, writing 500 words today isn’t enough to publish a book. But repeat the process over and over and you’ll get there. Probably before you would have otherwise started.

• Keep your vision in mind – When working toward a big goal where achievement is months or years into the future, it’s crucial to have some way of motivating yourself. When resistance is staring you in the face, what inspires you to press on? What does the finished product look like? What does completing it mean for you and your family?

• Forget about what other people think – Fear plays such a big role in preventing people from taking action. We fear embarrassing ourselves. We fear the judgments of others. It’s always safer to keep your head low and not take any chances. Of course, playing it safe doesn’t usually result in anything significant. Removing the fear of judgment is liberating. It opens up possibilities that didn’t exist before and sets us up to learn from engaging in the process of creation. Remember the old adage, “It’s none of your business what other people think of you” and dive in. Accept that fact that you’ll make mistakes and resolve to learn from them. If you don’t take the step, you’ll never know what you can learn.

Resistance points the course. Determine what and where it is and move towards it. Take small steps, always keep your vision in mind and forget about what other people think. The naysayers have never achieved what you will achieve. You got this.

For more on the topic of Resistance, check out Steven Pressfield's book "Do the Work".