Stop Resisting Your Resistance

Last weekend I was serendipitously in New York City the same weekend as the New York City Marathon. Since I'm a wanna-be runner who was sidelined with knee injuries I look with awe and ama!ement at these athletes who are so dedicated disciplined and committed to trainin" and runnin" this race. I lo#e to en"a"e them in con#ersation and hear their stories. $ne %irst-time marathoner I met e&plained to me that runnin" this marathon had been on her 'bucket list' %or years but year a%ter year somethin" had always come up that pre#ented her %rom doin" it. She said that a%ter (urricane Sandy the resultin" cancellation o% the )*+) New York City Marathon and the tra"edy o% the ,oston Marathon bombin" she knew she could no lon"er put o%% pursuin" this dream. -e'#e heard this same sense o% ur"ency in our own circles. .%ter /ebbie 0ord passed we heard %rom many people who always meant to attend one o% her li#e e#ents or enroll in her trainin"s. -e heard %rom people who always wanted to come to 1he Shadow 2rocess but %or some reason or another had not "otten around it to it. 3rate%ul that /ebbie's work was continuin" and not wantin" to take another moment %or "ranted they si"ned up immediately knowin" that they could no lon"er procrastinate when it came to %ul%illin" their internal commitments and %ollowin" their inner #oice. 4ecently one o% my students in the ,reakthrou"h Shadow Coachin" 1rainin" 2ro"ram asked me a #ery power%ul 5uestion. 1he student knew that there was a "oal on my 'bucket list' that I had yet to achie#e. So he asked me '-hat is stoppin" you6' $% course all o% my #ery justi%iable e&cuses came up %irst. I was busy workin". I was mo#in". I had to take care o% my %amily. I didn't ha#e the time. ,ut as I pondered his 5uestion more deeply I reali!ed how truly lame my initial responses and e&cuses were. -hen I looked at what was underneath those e&cuses I disco#ered that I had tremendous %ear -- %ear o% tryin" and %ailin" %ear o% not bein" "ood enou"h and %ear o% what my li%e would look like i% I did succeed. My procrastination e&cuses and justi%ications were all %orms o% resistance and underneath my resistance was %ear. .s human bein"s we are 'resistance-"eneratin" machines.' It's one o% the thin"s we do best. -e resist because we don't want to %ace a situation where we %eel %ear shame or some other uncom%ortable emotion. -e also resist because we don't want others to %ind out what we %ear most -- that we are not "ood enou"h not smart enou"h or not talented enou"h. Yet as /ebbie e&plains in Spiritual /i#orce it is not the situation that we are resistin" that causes us the pain but the resistance itsel%. 4esistance is the "lue that keeps the pain permanently in place since 'what you can't be with won't let you be.' Most people try to "et rid o% their resistance. 1hey do this by denyin" a#oidin" or promisin" themsel#es that tomorrow they will wake up and take care o% whate#er the situation is. ,ut ultimately what you resist persists tomorrow comes and "oes and the situation still remains unresol#ed. .t 1he 0ord Institute we teach people that no matter how hard you try to "et rid o% an unwanted emotion situation or circumstance whether you eat o#er it drink o#er it shop o#er it e&ercise o#er it or work o#er it it will always keep comin" back. ,ut i% you look at your resistance as your %riend your perception will shi%t. You will reali!e that all the unwanted circumstances and emotions are here to teach you moti#ate you and help you unconceal and bust throu"h your old belie% system. 0or me I always "et e&cited when I reali!e that I am in resistance and that there is some

%ear runnin" my li%e. 1hen I can really look at the %ear and see what I ha#e to do to take responsibility %or that area o% my li%e so that I can pursue my dreams and achie#e all o% the items on my 'bucket list.' If you want to have a breakthrough in any area of your life, I invite you to stop resisting your resistance! $nce you surrender and "o into the %eelin"s or discom%ort the "lue will so%ten and you will more easily be able to recei#e whate#er messa"e or wisdom is there to be e&tracted %rom the situation. Transformational Action Steps +7 0ind a com%ortable 5uiet place and brin" your journal and a pen. )7 Identi%y a situation circumstance or e#ent that you are resistin" a#oidin" or ha#e a list o% e&cuses why you ha#e not yet accomplished it. 87 .llow yoursel% to "o deeper and journal about what that %ear is under your resistance. 97 .sk yoursel% what you would need to know or what belie% you would need to let "o o% to trans%orm that %ear. :7 ;ournal about what would be possible i% you accomplished the situation you are a#oidin". <7 1ake an action or put a practice in place that will support you in takin" a step in trans%ormin" your %ear and achie#in" this "oal. -ith lo#e =elley Pass It n! Share this li%e-chan"in" messa"e with %riends %amily and lo#ed ones by clickin" the '0orward email' link at the bottom o% this email.