Pushing Past Resistance
How a 2-week resistance challenge turned into a new lifestyle.
Hi, I’m Reid! I write about my life experiences and how we can all live in brave new ways. Dare You is an entirely reader-supported publication. To receive weekly posts and support my work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
“I have seen the light! I have felt the urge to not do something I know I should do now and then resisted the resistance by just doing the thing immediately! I have felt true bliss!” …Those were actual words uttered out of my mouth this past Friday when I barged through the door of our apartment and felt the need to share my excitement with my boyfriend.
Let’s rewind….
A few weeks ago, my friend Luka came over, plopped herself on the big pink sofa, and announced, “I’m doing a challenge.”
“What challenge?”
“A 2-week challenge.”
“Tell me more.”
“A 2-week resistance challenge where I make a list every day of all the things I’m resisting and then go do them.”
“Oh my god, I love that! Let’s do it together!”
Luka and I are no strangers to a good challenge. We’ve done meditation challenges, creative challenges… just the idea of an allotted period of time dedicated to our personal growth in a specific area of life turns us on. So I didn’t have to think twice about joining her in this 2-week journey of busting through all procrastination blocks. And so it began.
Every morning we would send each other a list of all the things we had accomplished the day before and another list of all the things we planned to do that day, big or small. What I soon came to find was that not only the accountability and support of a friend helped me stay on track, but by doing all the things I needed to do at the moment I thought of doing them, created massive momentum in my life. Luka and I both work in the arts, so taking action on things related to our careers brought immense results, but I also found that by just accomplishing the small pesky errands and things that had been sitting on my to-do list for a while, created space for me to focus more on my creative work because there wasn’t anything hanging over my head. As the challenge progressed, it became less about checking items off a list and more about cultivating a mindset. I started to view resistance not as an obstacle, but as a signal- an opportunity for growth. Instead of dreading it, I embraced it. By getting all the things on my list out of the way at the beginning of the day, I created space for what I actually wanted to come through. The universe responds when you show up.
By the end of the 2-week challenge, I was feeling stronger than ever and felt like so much was possible for me moving forward… hence the rushing in the door and accosting my boyfriend. Luka and I decided to turn the 2-week challenge into a 6-week challenge and dedicate the entire month of February to overcoming our resistance once and for all…
But can resistance ever truly be overcome? Or is it just a part of the contract we sign upon entering this life?
In Acting class this past week, our teacher recommended we all read the book The War Of Art by
. This book has been the classic I have revisited at least once a year for the past decade and has completely changed the way I approach making art. In The War Of Art, Pressfield says, “Rule of thumb: The more important a call or action is to our soul’s evolution, the more resistance we will feel toward pursuing it.” This idea calms my heart. The idea that resistance and procrastination are not only normal but could signify a higher calling, in a way makes me welcome it. When we recognize resistance as just a common part of the day, like brushing our teeth or taking out the trash, it takes away the heaviness and fear of it. It becomes less scary. More manageable.
I have come to accept that resistance will always be there. The goal is not to make it obsolete but strengthen my ability to overcome it. After all, on the other side of discipline is freedom. When I have the discipline to push through the uncomfortable feeling, I am rewarded by stepping into a flow state where ideas are plenty. Do you think I actually wanted to sit down and write this morning? Well, most mornings I do look forward to writing, but this morning I would have personally preferred to sleep in an extra hour and postmate a croissant and latte that I would have gladly enjoyed in bed while watching an episode of Real Housewives on my laptop. But I didn’t. Instead, I got up had my coffee, acknowledged my resistance, and then said “bring it on!!!”
Pushing through resistance is like getting your reps in at the gym. It might feel like an uphill battle when you first begin, but after a few days of building muscle, you become stronger. By getting comfortable with pushing through resistance, you learn to love the feeling of checking off your list, putting your head on your pillow at night feeling good about all you accomplished, you no longer beat yourself up for not living up to the bar you set for yourself. You enter true flow.
With a renewed perspective, I plan on turning the now 6-week resistance challenge into a lifestyle as I have experienced the true value of just doing the damn thing. When it comes to creating art, making healthy choices, or just running the errands I have been putting off, I plan on making the gap between the thought and taking action smaller and smaller with each day.
What is one thing you have resistance towards?
What is one action you can take today, big or small, that will get you closer to accomplishing that thing?
Let me know how it goes!
-Reid
Really enjoyed this Reid. One thing I am resisting right now is painting just for the fun of it. I have a lot of other creative outlets I am exploring right now, but this always feels like a challenge to sit down and do it. I may have to get back into it with a 2 week challenge, and maybe just 10 minutes at a time!
This was really timely and helpful. I feel like it’s time for me to tackle those things I’ve been avoiding and allow space for other things. I love the idea of doing it earlier in the day so that you have the rest of the day to follow your intuition and gut.