RESISTANCE & COURAGE

Resistance!

Do you feel me?  I know you do.  How many of us resist doing what we need to do or even what we want to do?  Resistance is a real Son of A….

How many of you have said if I had more free time I would, learn a new language, instrument, clean my garage, paint with watercolors etc.?  Yet here we are with valuable information much of it free at the tip of our fingertips on the internet and have you attempted any of those things?  Many of us have more free time due to the pandemic than we have ever had and yet while some post success stories on social media the majority haven’t gotten around to doing what they had longed to do. My friends, there is NO time like the Present!  Do not procrastinate and put off till tomorrow what you want to do today.

There is a great little book on resistance called “The War of Art”, by Steven Pressfield that I just love. He is a talented and accomplished writer and he speaks about resistance in terms of his art, but anyone can relate to and apply what he has to say to their own life. He said, “there would be no dream without resistance. The Dream comes first, and resistance follows”. We live in a world of polarities, so it makes sense. Yin/Yang, Night/Day, Masculine/Feminine, Right/Wrong, etc.  He also said” Resistance is always lying and full of sh*t”. Isn’t it the truth!  He wrote that resistance is pointing to the exact direction of action you need to take. Interesting isn’t it? In my opinion it is a great teacher and it can help us cultivate courage and craft our self-discipline. When the curtain is pulled back resistance is nothing but fear. You have to decide is it fear you want to feed or yours dream and mastery of the self?

One of the yogic teachings I had learned was to get the commotion of emotion out of the way. If I had heard that 30 years ago, I would have scoffed. I was an emotional young person. I felt there was something wrong with me for being so, “dramatic”. When I finally was able to allow my self to express myself emotionally, I felt free. Then time passes and I realized the tail was wagging the dog.  I was at the beck and call of my emotions and that was not good. I realized that emotions needed addressed with understanding and at times compassion or commanded with strength depending on the need or circumstance. I learned that emotions are formed from thoughts and that emotions are held in the body. I also learned emotions are tools that when we address them with neutrality can aid us in commanding them with dignity and love. I have never (in my opinion) treated a physical ailment in a patient that didn’t have a mental/emotional component to it. The whole of our being is affected when we are sick or injured.

So now when I feel resistance to doing what I need to or want to do, I take advice from the shoe brand, Nike’s slogan and “Just Do It’. Sometimes it takes a while and real effort to move resistance out of the way. I have a curmudgeonly two-ton boulder of a resistant self, but I always get there, and you can too. Just do it and free yourself from the resistance.

And let’s not confuse what resistance is. Resisting doing something stupid or that isn’t safe or healthy, is a good thing. Resisting ill-fated temptation is not the type of resistance I am talking about. That isn’t true resistance. That is self-discipline and right action manifesting. That is courage. Which also by the way comes from the heart! Sound judgment and right action always does. That is why the word courage comes from the Latin root word for heart. Courage is not the lack of fear, it is the ability to do something even though we are frightened.

Now go forth and manifest your best self, your destiny and your hearts calling! Find your courage. Fight your resistance. You can do it! You are worth it!