Consider the following quotation by Steven Pressfield, author of The War of Art:

Have you ever brought home a treadmill and let it gather dust in the attic? Ever quit a diet, a course of yoga, a meditation practice? Have you ever bailed out on a call to embark upon a spiritual practice, dedicate yourself to a humanitarian calling, commit your life to the service of others? Have you ever wanted to be a mother, a doctor, an advocate for the weak and helpless; to run for office, crusade for the planet, campaign for world peace, or to preserve the environment? Late at night have you experienced a vision of the person you might become, the work you could accomplish, the realized being you were meant to be? Are you a writer who doesn’t write, a painter who doesn’t paint, an entrepreneur who never starts a venture? Then you know what Resistance is.

I’m sure that most of us relate to some aspect of this description. It is all very well having plans and clearly defined goals, but if that were all we needed then I would be out of a job and all of you would be doing exactly what you wanted with your lives. Fear, or resistance, is a major factor in whether or not we achieve our dreams and carry out our intentions.

I classify fear as having two types – tangible and intangible. Tangible fear is the obvious stuff. For example, we may be afraid if we are in danger, we may be scared of someone if we are in trouble with them or we may fear someone who we perceive as being stronger or better than ourselves.

Intangible fear, however, is not as clear cut. Intangible fear stops us being the person we really want to be; intangible fear tells us that we can never do the things we have always dreamed of; intangible fear stops us even dreaming of the things we would like to be or do; intangible fear keeps us in our comfort zone; intangible fear can stop us loving and being loved. Intangible fear can definitely stop us from leading the life we want to lead!

Intangible fear is the carbon monoxide of fear. You can’t touch it, feel it or smell it – but if you have too much of it in your life it can have a very nasty effect. More than half the battle with intangible fear is seeing that it actually exists and admitting to ourselves that we are suffering from it. Then we can concentrate on overcoming it.

The resistance caused by intangible fear can be a very useful compass. It usually occurs with a project or desire that is very close to our hearts. The resistance arises because our small ego wants to continue ruling our lives and does not want us to connect with the desires of our soul. It does everything it can to throw obstacles in our way. Therefore, when we are feeling fearful about our project or are getting knocked about by numerous obstacles, we can be sure that we are absolutely on exactly the right course for our lives – otherwise the resistance would not be happening.

These obstacles can manifest in different ways. For example, when I first started to write seriously I developed RSI so using a computer keyboard or holding a pen became a challenge. I could have been defeated by this but I was determined that I would continue to produce creative material. I had to seek treatment and learn the art of patience but I still managed, one page at a time, to write my novel.

Sometimes the resistance comes from other people. You may have a friend or a family member who is always trying to dissuade you from listening to your heart –or they might be the one who gets sick or has an accident every time you are about to make progress. Finally, resistance can come purely from within – as our fear paralyses us from taking the action we know we could take. Incidentally, procrastination is a manifestation of fear and resistance.

How can we overcome such fear and resistance? Firstly, by knowing and acknowledging that it exists. Secondly, it is necessary to look the resistance squarely in the eye, see it for what it is and determine to win over it no matter what. Finally we need to take action. The action needs to be in bite-sized pieces that we can handle. It is a case of breaking down the task in hand to small enough steps so that the first one is very easy to take. Then we can feel good about having made a start on our project and momentum kicks in to help us take the next step.

You can do whatever you wish with your life. There is always a way. Once you get to grips with how fear and resistance manifests in your life, you are on your way to winning the battle to overcome it.

If you need a helping hand with breaking through your resistance then come to my Stop Procrastinating, Start Doing workshop