Seek out resistance to guide your path
When I ‘m running I like to stick to paths.
They can be stony or narrow but generally they’re still paths.
Off route can be boggy, thorny, uphill, rocky with holes or lead to a steep cliff. Yet these are the routes I remember. The most fun. The most interesting. The ones that made me a better runner.
In creating a new habit, idea, project or piece of work there is often resistance. A point to turn away. A choice to cut short the run. To take it easy.
Traditionally these moments have been viewed as negative. A sign of weakness.
What if
this resistance is your new best friend.
The confirmation that you’re doing something worthy and awesome.
“A symptom you’re on the right track”
what if
you used this to guide you?
Your “north star”
Look for the resistance to direct your route.
When you feel it, you know you’re on the right path.
Follow the new habit, idea or action.
Grab it and run with it!
Have fun! A more interesting journey, a better version of you than the one that started out.
As a guide, Steven Pressfield lists the activities which commonly elicit Resistance. For more examples please refer to his book The War of Art
“Any act of political, moral or ethical courage
Any course designed to overcome an unwholesome habit
Any activity whose aim is tighter abdominals”
Seth Godin The Icarus Deception Portfolio Penguin
Steven Pressfield The War of Art Black Irish Entertainment
