Resistance. A very common automatic response to what doesn’t “feel good.” It shows up in all areas of our life on a daily basis. Relationships, occupations, driving on the road, standing in line, our general interactions with people, etc. You name it. It is there at some point.
When Jim asked me to write another article I felt a little resistance at first. Not that I didn’t want to write one but the timing just didn’t feel right at that time. I just was unsure what to write about and how to express it.
A few days later I was sitting on my porch enjoying the outdoors. I was watching all the large trees in my view. The wind was blowing and these huge tree branches flowed with the wind so gracefully. I was a little mesmerized by how they swayed back and forth with ease. No resistance to the wind. Then it hit me. Nature had a message. Right there in front of me.
Let Go and Let Flow. Kind of a light bulb moment. I actually felt instant relief at that moment. What a great feeling it was.
I know this example is a simple one but I realized again that I resist in other areas of my life and sometimes unaware of it. I’m not talking about major events. Just the ordinary snags that come up during the day. We all have them.
But the good news is that we have an inner alarm that goes off every time we resist something. It’s your stomach. It’s a wonderful indicator we have. When we resist, we immediately feel discomfort. Our stomach muscles tighten up. We hold tension in our shoulders and face as well.
And the opposite effect works just as fast. Let’s say you had an issue or concern that was resolved. Did you feel and immediate relief in your mind and body at that moment? What a great feeling. Our bodies are amazing as to what is possible.
What usually creates our worry and concern is the fact that our thoughts about the situation drag us there. Thoughts are not reality. They are just our minds telling us that they are. They can be brought out by past experiences that we let influence our present moment thinking. But that is not reality. Also, it creates our resistance when we need to move forward with decisions about the future because it can cause a feeling of uncertainty about the unseen results we want to accomplish. Again, that is not reality either. The future is the future. It hasn’t happened yet.
So who is running this ship inside my head? Eye-opening, right? What is reality and how do we gain back control of the ship when it is out of control? First of all, reality only exists in the present moment. Also, there is no magic pill to take or a miracle that is going to happen. It’s simple but maybe not so easy. It takes some practice. It is guiding your thoughts to the present moment. The only way out. Doing this provides clarity to make more effective decisions.
The book called “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle helped me see it as a truth for me. I experimented with it. His example was simply that when you feel upset about a situation that is not an emergency at that particular moment, stop and ask yourself, “Do I have a problem right NOW?” Probably not.
Like I said, experiment with the idea. Play around with it and see what happens. Resistance is not a bad feeling to have. It is not right or wrong. It’s just an indicator as to what and where your thoughts are in a particular moment.
In closing, I want to encourage you to share this with others if you feel it has helped you see reality in a different way. It’s a wonderful gift to share. And also because it feels good to share…
Feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of this page or you can contact me directly at humanpotenetial101@gmail.com
