Some Thoughts About Resistance
Resistance is that response which rises up in each of us when we know what we should or shouldn’t do, but can’t quite do or not do it for reasons we often don’t understand, and sometimes can’t even see. I’ve been thinking a lot about resistance lately because I’ve been working with a personal trainer after four years of enforced physical inactivity. Severe breathing problems, which were caused by a leaking toner cartridge in my laser printer, took four long years to heal and, during that time, I became more and more sedentary and out of shape. Now, even though I can finally breathe most of the time without medication and I have a strong commitment to getting fit again, there are many moments when all I want to do is weep and give up. I want to collapse and stop and just get away from the discomfort of using muscles I haven’t used for such a long time.
When resistance arises, what all of us are saying-or at least thinking-is essentially the same thing: ‘I know I need to change, and I do want to be different-at least I think I do. But please don’t make me work too hard. I really just want to make a little effort and wake up a different person.’ This is such a human thing and nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed by. It’s a natural part of the process of change and growth.