Stop Resisting & Start Living
There is an interesting quote in the book A Course in Miracles that says, “Have you really considered how many opportunities you have had to gladden yourself and how many of them you have refused?” If you think about it, why do we sometimes actively resist the chance to be happy and how can we stop resisting and finally start living?
What is Resistance?
The word “resistance” has various meanings and Wikipedia alone offers five definitions that include everything from resistance to medication, to an underground movement that resists authority in an occupied country. However the type of resistance I’m referring to here is the “refusal to accept or comply with something,” or more specifically, “the opposition to flow, or movement.” In essence, this form of resistance is all about restriction and from a spiritual standpoint it only serves to hold us back from the people, places and things that could potentially bring us personal happiness and fulfilment. The fact is, this type of resistance is based on fear and it represents an insecure inner-voice that simply says, “No” to life.
Why Do We Resist?
Perhaps we convince ourselves that we are only “honouring” our busy schedules, or acknowledging our personal limitations when we resist opportunities that arise in our lives. But what about when we find ourselves feeling strong resistance to the things that we actually WANT to do, like speaking in public, writing a book, connecting with a love-interest, or making a big life change? In these cases we have to step back and examine the real reasons why we are saying “No.” The fact is, no matter how you slice it the hidden agenda behind resistance is fear. Although we try to disguise our fear in various forms that we desperately attempt to justify, we can’t hide the fact that we are simply afraid, because deep down inside we are filled insecurity, self-doubt and a sense of worthlessness.
Stop Resisting and Start Living.
The key behind moving through any form of resistance is by replacing fearful limiting beliefs about ourselves with loving, unlimited beliefs that shine away lower ego self-perceptions and release our true Inner Strength into everything we think, say and do. Although this may sound challenging, it’s possible once you understand some basic skills:
Forgiving the Past – Bad experiences from the past often come back to haunt us and we worry we will repeat the same mistakes. However when we forgive the past and let go of any residual fear, we are free to make decisions in the present moment.
Releasing the Future – Ultimately, anxiety is the result of projecting onto a future that does not exist. However, when we step back from trying to figure out the future, or imagining all of the things that “could” possibly happen, we release anxiety of the future and allow each moment to be fresh and new.
Positive Affirmations – We are always running conditioned programming in our heads. However when we replace the old tapes of “I’m not good enough” or “I’m not worthy,” with fresh new tapes that say, “I AM worthy” and “I AM good enough” we start to create new neuro-pathways that that can seriously change our perspective.
Getting out of your Way – So often we can end up being our own worst enemies and stop our self from doing the very things we want to accomplish. However getting out of our own way simply means to just plan our work and work our plan without over-thinking or developing analysis paralysis. In the immortal words of Nike, “Just do it!” Trust in a Higher Power: The most important thing to remember is we are never alone. There is a quote in A Course in Miracles that says, “Fear is a sure sign you are trusting in your own strength.” When we remember that we are always being carried by the Universe Itself, we can always relax and KNOW that all things are moving forward for our good.
#affirmations #positivity #happiness #forgiveness #wellbeing #spitituality #mindbodyspirit #empowerment #joufulliving
