Posts Tagged ‘resistance’
Resistance Is Crucial…
Sunday, April 10th, 2011
Let’s face it, we all look for the path of least resistance. It’s just human nature to do so. Yet think about this for a moment: what if there were no resistance, what would our life and business look like?
Well, none of us would be flying anywhere because it is the very resistance of air underneath the wings that lifts the plane and controls its flight. We’d all become quite flabby because of lack of physical effort to do anything. And let’s not forget how dull and boring life would be if everything came to us without breaking a sweat.
It is so interesting that we strive so hard so we don’t have too. And if successful at it, we end up with a rather hellish life. There’s a word for this and “neurotic” doesn’t quite fit the bill. While it may be human nature to desire the path of least resistance, we can only grow strong and have a meaningful life and career if we meet and work with resistance head on…
Art begins with resistance – at the point where resistance is overcome. No human masterpiece has ever been created without great labor.
~Andre Gide
Early in my sales career I remember hearing a story about an ordinary pumpkin that ended up becoming anything but. You see, scientists wanted to find out what would happen if they put a steel strap with weights around the pumpkin to resist its growth. The scientists kept adding more and more weight as the pumpkin grew until it finally burst after having supported over 1,000 lbs of resistance. When they examined the insides of this pumpkin, they found something remarkable. It adapted by growing much thicker and denser fibers than you would find in any regular pumpkin. It was the very resistance it had met that made it so extraordinary.
Remember this when things are tough and nothing seems to be going your way. While perhaps uncomfortable or even painful, it is a gift that can help make you far stronger than you would be otherwise —if you choose to accept it.
How to Step Back For Success
Saturday, April 17th, 2010
How often does it feel that the harder you push in business (and life for that matter) the harder it pushes back? It’s kind of like that cornstarch in water demonstration most of us have seen in school (or our kids school). You can drag your finger through the solution slowly and it provides no resistance at all. However, the instant you try to plow through it quickly the solution stiffens into a solid-like substance that creates impenetrable resistance.
There is a natural flow and pace to the things we do. Go too slow and we miss opportunity. Push too hard and it pushes back just as hard, exhausting us. The key is to figure out that ideal pace that produces maximum results with the minimum amount of effort.
Yeah, that sounds good, but most of us are pretty hard charging when it comes to business. After all, that’s what got us where we are, right? But what if “where we are” is just the beginning of “where we could be”. Sometimes us “hard-chargers” have to push so hard that we finally think that nothing is working and we’re just stuck. The moment we realize that is the moment we are finally open to real breakthrough…
The most effective work is not hard work. The most effective work is work that flows easily and naturally. Valuable results don’t come from stress and anxiety. Really valuable results come from authenticity and truth.
Imagine being relaxed and confident, not fighting against the challenges but instead allowing the best possibilities. Imagine the feeling of genuine fulfillment that comes when what you do is completely aligned with who you are.
Stop trying, and allow. Stop worrying, and be.
Ralph Marston
Next time you feel like you’re stuck no matter what you do, consider stepping back for a moment and just accept that simply pushing harder is not the solution. Then be open to the possibility that another direction will present itself that may get you farther than you even dreamed possible.
