Resistance: A Reaction To And A Catalyst For Change

 From the depth of my sassiest self the words flowed out “I don't get this, what the, what's happening with her, this makes no sense… as I read the marketing challenge and scrolled down to my brilliant business coach's signature I thought - "it's not me - it's you". Given how much I revere my biz coach and her expertise, deep down I knew it was something in me.

 

I'm not one to hover over a challenge for long - I dive in or I know immediately it's not my jam or I don't have the capacity in that moment. It's as if this tactical, simple challenge introduced an alien inner critic that left me discombobulated, utterly confused as to what was happening. 👽

 

Challenged accepted…and resisted!

 

The hidden gem here was the thought “it's not me, it's you”. Cringing here. It screams, take a look in the mirror. 😱 So that's what I did.

I asked myself – what am I resisting?

 

It certainly wasn’t the challenge itself. Within the challenge was a well-structured visualization. So far so good – right? What self-respecting coach doesn’t love a good visualization.

 

Thinking about vision set off my resistant reaction because I knew I would land where I had avoided going in my marketing - becoming more visible and taking more risks (unknown territory, stepping outside my comfort zone - need I go on😘).

Sound familiar?

 

After understanding my reaction to resist the challenge, making it about something outside myself to avoid completing it, I started to apply critical thinking and get creative about developing a plan, taking action, and get the support I needed to make it happen. With one powerful mindset shift – it was time for me to learn to love what it takes to get what I want. 🤯

Resistance occurs because we fear the unknown, we fear loss associated with the change. Resistance is feedback for how you are interpreting change. Here's the universal kick, when you recognize it for what it is then it becomes the catalyst to create the change you really want.

 

If you're experiencing resistance associated with a change (voluntary or involuntary), try out the following pro tips I used to transmute my resistance into the catalyst that created the changes my business needed.

 

✔️Get curious. Adopt a learning mindset that anticipates and plans for resistance as part of any transition. The brain will resist before it leans into changing what is familiar. Knowing that, how can you prepare for it before the transition occurs?

 

✔️Lean into the strength within your resistance because it may be a signal you're risk averse and need support to drive the change you want. What support do you need? 

 

✔️Identify what resistance feels like in your body, your thoughts, feelings, and actions so you can recognize it early. Do your shoulders and neck tighten, teeth clench or grind? Do you experience self-doubt, procrastination, perfectionism? If someone is helping you solve a problem do you withhold information or distort information? These are a few examples of how resistance shows up.

 

✔️Ask yourself what am I resisting? (why it's good to know what resistance looks like for you)

 

✔️Ask yourself how do I need to think about this resistance to move froward? What small action can you take? 

 

✔️Remind yourself the fear of the unknown and loss is what elicits resistance - not the change itself.