Resist Resistance, break the shackles!
When your inner voice comes calling, don’t allow “resistance” to play spoilsport.
Our minds are conditioned from an early age regarding good and bad, right and wrong, dos and don’ts, and so forth.
As kids, we depend on our parents, grandparents, teachers, and other adults to show us the way. Even though this is mostly necessary until a certain age, we also end up believing the things that are constantly ingrained in our heads.
In typical middle-class families, particularly in the East, it is drilled into our minds that we should be rational in our aspirations and focus on savings more than earnings because the threshold of our earning capacities is almost predefined.
We grow up with a vision of a mundane life that becomes a reality in due course. Remember: “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” (Proverbs 23:7, New King James Version).
For some, the prearranged journey leads to a life of fulfillment. Their immaculate academic career naturally progresses to rewarding professional pursuits punctuated by a happy personal life. However, this picture-perfect life is usually for a privileged few.
For others, our lives can seem like a series of mechanical tasks when we follow the pre-planned path. From the shrill noise of the alarm clock in the morning until slumping down on the bed at midnight or beyond, exhausted both physically and mentally, we become slaves to our own destiny.
A prodigious guitarist sacrifices his passion for survival needs, and the best tennis player in school is convinced by his parents that there’s only one Roger Federer in a million: “You won’t make the cut, son.”
So, we choose to “get grounded,” bury our desires, and trudge along the “tried and tested” route that meets the demands of the world.
What happens to our aspirations? What happens to the latent talents we once thought would take us in a totally different direction than where we are now?
We meticulously pack them in boxes and shelve them in the attics of our hearts amidst piles of mental junk.
However, life gives a select few a second chance — a chance to break free and explore the endless possibilities of their dreams and desires.
But taking the road less traveled is a test of one’s grit and determination. And on this path, the biggest hurdle is “resistance.”
“Resistance by definition is self-sabotage. But there’s a parallel peril that must also be guarded against: sabotage by others.” (the WAR of ART by Steven Pressfield)
How does resistance manifest itself in our day-to-day lives?
It’s a trickster of the highest order, with a plethora of weapons at its disposal. Let’s look at some of them.
- Fear: Be it speaking up in just protest against your superior or hitting the publish button for your first article; fear strikes at critical junctures in our lives. The very thought of challenging the status quo or embracing a new beginning sends chills down our spine.
This is the trump card up resistance’s sleeve. It freezes us into absolute inaction. We retreat into the mundaneness of a restrained life.
- Rationalization: “If you speak up, your appraisal will be doomed. Just ignore and move on with your job,” whispers resistance whenever you try to muster the courage to bring out obvious leadership glitches in your supervisor. “You publish this trash and you’ll make a mockery of yourself,” warns resistance to keep you from exploring your creative self. To rationalize further, it may add that ‘writing’ can’t be a full-time occupation as “writers struggle to make ends meet.”
Resistance uses rationalization as a complement to fear. The double whammy is usually enough to knock you to your knees.
- Procrastination: Ever made a new year resolution of starting a diet or exercise regime? Or just to wake up early for a morning walk? Well, these resolutions often keep getting pushed back by a “few days” that moves to the elusive “next Monday,” which then gets thwarted by Monday morning blues.. And the saga continues.
It’s resistance at its best. It stops you from taking the steps that can transform you for the better. It strives to nip any well-meant plans in the bud so that you don’t experience the fruits of change and cling to the past.
- Mental afflictions: This can stir up controversy as clinical depression, anxiety, and other forms of mental ailments are real. However, there’s a tendency to equate sadness or laziness with depression. While an actual depressive state may start from a sad incident that can make you less enthusiastic about life, it could be just a passing phase and not a clinical condition.
Resistance has a happy knack for preying on people who proclaim being depressed at every possible instance. It enjoys keeping you in a state of self-pity so that you don’t emerge stronger, more potent, and ready for life’s challenges.
- Victim card: Acceptance is often the most difficult first step in the process of self-alteration. We love to shove the responsibility on “circumstances” which is supposedly not in our hands. It’s true that certain occurrences in our lives are not in our control, but if we introspect honestly, we’ll find that we are the creators of the situation we are in. We choose a path that led us to our present circumstances.
Resistance uses the victim card to keep us chained to our current environment. It keeps reminding us of our “responsibilities” that are certain to get derailed if we try to break free.
Resistance gains momentum when your friends and allies, and even your immediate family, start to reinforce its credo.
Two of the most popular pieces of advice we get from our near and dear ones are “play safe” and “it’s all destined; you can’t change anything.” These reaffirmations of our own mental blockages further entrap us in the maze of our minds.
Should you then remain slaves to resistance or show the mettle to break the shackles?
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13- New King James Version)
Faith in divinity gives us faith in ourselves, as the Holy Spirit resides in us.
Nevertheless, to negate resistance, you need to launch a planned attack. Some of the ammunition in this war is:
- Planning: If you want to start a new phase in your life, then plan in advance. It’s an obvious safeguard against failures, but more importantly, you can keep resistance at bay if your endeavor is well-planned and not impulsive.
- Discipline: Maintain a proper schedule to take action on your plan. If it’s about writing, then keep aside a time of the day when you write no matter what (barring medical emergencies, of course). If you are starting a diet plan, will yourself to stay away from the tempting junk food; keep healthy substitutes at hand or even use distractions like music to keep your mind away from the thoughts.
- Momentum: Using the 5–4–3–2–1 technique has worked wonders for me when it comes to setting an early-morning regime or breaking free from writer’s block. Just count from 5 to 1 in reverse order and will yourself to start the task. It acts as a jolt that pushes you out of inertia.
- Persistence: Resistance is always looking to claw back and it chooses the difficult days to pounce on you. Remind yourself that everyone has an off day and ensure to get back to your schedule at the earliest.
Hence, dear friends, “Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached.” — Swami Vivekananda.
Cheers to conquering resistance! Stay tuned for more.
