There’s No Such Thing as "Resistance"

Okay, you’ve got your plan in front of you. Let’s say that you want to get a new product created. You know what you have to do, you know what you want to do. The way feels clear, your heart feels right with it, even excited, you’re ready to go, and…

Nothing.

You’re stopped dead in your tracks. “Gosh- why am I so resistant to this?” “Where is this resistance coming from?”

Frustrating as all git-out, ain’t it? You’re just being resistant, and you’ve got your heels dug in because of some deep psychobabble problem from three lifetimes ago…

Except for one thing: there’s no such thing as resistance.

‘Resistance’ is a phantom two-by-four.

The common thinking is that resistance keeps you from what’s important to you. Some people even claim that support, processing and healing are just distractions. That you should just ‘push through’ your resistance.

That’s not the kind of world I want to live in- where people simply ‘push through’ through the ‘resistance.’ It’s harsh, and where is the mercy and compassion?

Besides which, there is something else going on.

You have a legitimate need.

When you can’t move towards a true intention of your heart, something is missing. You have some legitimate need, and the Divine is not letting you move forward without it.

You can do yourself violence and push through it, like many people advise you to do, but that means you’re running roughshod over your own legitimate needs. And missing some precious jewel that’s lying right at your feet.

Example:

A client had been working on a proposal, and dragging his feet every inch of the way. Sometimes hiding under the covers, other times kicking and screaming. Getting miniscule amounts done in dribs and drabs.

Exhausted, wanting to throw it all away, even though it was a big opportunity, he realized he needed to stop and check in: what was he really needing? As he checked in, he realized he really needed a sense of ease and support.

Taking some more time in his heart, he asked to be shown a larger truth about this project. And what he got was a perspective and a question. The perspective was that his business would be just fine if the proposal wasn’t accepted, which immediately brought relief. And, with that relief, he saw that he could do the proposal in his own style, instead of trying to stick to someone else’s format, which brought back a sense of aliveness and inspiration.

The question he saw? What if the people he was submitting the proposal to weren’t sitting in judgment, but rather were needing help themselves and were actively looking to support him in what he was doing? A revolutionary question!

Support. Ease. With those needs identified and the answers to those needs already present without needing to work harder, right where he was standing, a sense of inspiration came in, and he finished up the proposal in the next 24 hours.

So-called ‘Resistance’ is like a dowsing rod.

Have you ever seen a dowser? You know, someone who uses a forked stick to find water underground? The way it works is they use their special powers of connection, and when they come close to where the water is, the stick dips down towards the ground, sometimes with a fair amount of force.

Whether you believe in dowsers or not, ‘resistance’ is your dowsing rod. Our tendency as humans is to rush along towards our goals, passing right over treasures and beauty that are right under our feet.

Resistance is asking you to pause and look at where you are. And ask a few questions. What questions? And how do you get moving again? Don’t go any further- you want to dig right here:

Keys to Dowsing through ‘Resistance’

• Distraction and false paths.

One way so-called ‘resistance’ shows up is when we get involved with ‘good ideas.’ Some kind of urgent request comes in from a friend or colleague, and you throw over your plans to go take care of it. Or, you suddenly find yourself with a double-handful of ‘great ideas’ and you spend hours, or days, noodling over them.

Of course, helping friends and creative spurts are good things. But, if you see a pattern of continuing to not get to the task at hand, take time to yourself: “What is my heart truly needing right now?” You might also ask: “What am I hoping these other tasks and distractions are going to provide to my heart?”

• What support are you needing?

Sometimes a project isn’t meant to be done solo. If you’re stuck at some point in your project, maybe you could change your question from “How do I get this done?” and instead ask “What support or resources do I need in order to move forward with this?”

It may be that there is some little detail- like a lack of technical expertise or knowledge- that needs a helping hand. Or, it might be as simple as just needing a friendly person sitting with you while you work through some particularly challenging part of your project.

• Feeling vulnerable?

Every single time I’m going to release a new product or offering, I finish 80-90% of it and stop. This is true as I’m writing this article, when I’m *really* supposed to be working on another project someone asked me to do.

Why? I always feel incredibly tender and vulnerable in releasing something new. Even if I’m clear that people want it, it still feels vulnerable.

Big projects that hold a lot of importance in your heart may be bringing up some tenderness and vulnerability for you, too. What is your heart needing, so it can feel full and inspired to move forward with your project?

Okay, now that I’ve distracted myself with this article, and then have taken time to sit with my heart, I’m getting back to that project that is most of the way done.

How about for you? What does your heart need so you can move forward into that important project sitting in front of you?