How is it, that we so often distract ourselves from what we feel, deep in our bones, is our calling? This calling may take different forms and morph into different passions, most likely, as we evolve and grow. But that “distraction” is called many different things, like procrastination, or self-doubt. So often it occurs when the very action we must take is aligned with our deepest desires or the stirring of our creative energies. Steven Pressfield in his book, The War of Art, refers to this as resistance. Pressfield states “Most of us have two lives. The life we live and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance.”
I know this feeling, and I think that throughout my life, this form of resistance ebbs and flows, just as self-activation ebbs and flows. Like a dance these 2 two forces, which are universal, experienced by all people are like all opposing forces, love and fear, light and darkness, expansion and constriction. Pressfield goes on to say that “Resistance is the most toxic force on the planet.” More over “To yield to Resistance deforms our spirit.” I believe it can, yet I know it is a force that can be reckoned with. For this we need awareness!
As with all the of obstacles that come our way, and they do, both awareness of what is holding us back, even if we don’t understand it, and acceptance that there are negative forces is the key. To fight with them, believe them to be reason not to move forward, that is empowering them. To see them for what they are and move forward anyway, is to overcome them.
We often refer to these times as feeling stuck, or giving into inertia, or find some excuse to avoid the task we know we need to do. Just the awareness, no harsh inner critic, as it’s universal, not personal. So just go ahead and paint the canvas, play the instrument, dive into motherhood or write your book. Just starting, taking action, even when we don’t feel like it can ignite the very momentum we feel lacking!
Remember the line from one of my favorite poets Mary Oliver, “ Tell me what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life”