RESISTANCE

Or stop listening to that voice in your head.

I call the fight against internal resistance the just-do-it-principle. Beginning, sitting down and getting started is easier said than done.

But let’s rewind.

Procrastination. You postpone. You have done it time and time again. You know it. You hate it.

You get up in the morning, during breakfast you think about the project you do not have to do, but want to do. You scheduled your whole day to have enough free time to sit down and devote to your task.

Then it is time to start.

But suddenly that nasty voice in your head chimes in. As soon as you are in front of it, there comes an objection from the inside of your head. It starts as a voice in the back of your mind. I could do this before. Then it becomes a gut feeling that keeps you from starting. Yes, I definitely should do this, then start afterwards. These excuses get repeated until noon. Instead of starting you have to do this or that. Then the afternoon is gone and nothing has been done. And finally you tell yourself, that it’s too late to start today. Again, you have postponed again.

It is those damned internal resistances, that interfere and make your life harder. They manage to distract you way too often. Life gets easier, when you do, what you want to do. You have to become aware of internal resistance, you have to find the right answers to your thoughts

Each and every time the internal resistances win, you don’t do what you want to do. What is imposed on you, are activities that can actually be postponed. They are never important. If they were, you would have done them a long time ago. Think about how fast the internal resistances come up with alternatives, considering the reaction time, they have to be grasping for straws. Give it a try. Next time you want to start, just peek at your desk, the excuses pop up. That stuff is never important. Vacuuming, checking emails, peeling potatoes.

When I think about my past school years, finding great positives besides the classmates … difficult. I … no, even after all these years I hate it. Not everything was better in the past. Teachers from the horror cabinet, unnecessary subjects and the same old, same old every day. What I liked the most (yet still hated) was the work with a little leeway, the kind of homework that did not have to be finished by the next day. That stuff could be delayed so conveniently. Let me guess: You were the same!?! Our motto was: There is still enough time. On the day before the deadline, panic arose, time for another night shift, and thus another so-so result. It wasn’t very smart, but to our defense, we were young and dumb.

As adults, we face a different problem. We want to achieve certain goals, but there is no deadline in sight. Well, we lived, now we learn. Internal resistances keep you from achieving what you want. They keep you from living the life you dream of.

There is a variety of desirable dreams, that are hard to make a reality. I want to write a book, I want to finish a painting, I want to record an album, I want to create something. The creativity is the easy part, you have plenty of good ideas. Planning is no problem as well, you know how the work gets done. But something keeps you from sitting down and getting to work. Every damn time.I could do this, I should do that. There, right at the beginning, begins the important fight against the internal resistances. Just before you sit down, distracting thoughts come to mind: Oh, I could clean the windows. I have to go grocery shopping. Starting later is no big deal, tomorrow is another day, and well rested I will be much more efficient anyway.

They are internal resistances, they make your life difficult.

Internal resistances are the bad influence, your parents never warned you of. Internal resistances cause the bad feeling one has in the stomach, because instead of working for two hours, time is being spent with trivial pursuit.

Internal resistances prevent you from fulfilling your task. Your stories stay in your head, even though the keyboard likes it rough, it wants to be hit. Your canvas misses being stroked by the brush. Your instrument collects dust instead of emotions. If you continue to listen to your inner resistances, your dream remains an idea, waiting to be forgotten.

Listening to internal resistances is nothing but the easy way out. Of course you feel bad afterwards, you just ran away like a scalded dog. You wanted to work on something that is actually fun for you. You are thus preventing yourself from doing things that make you happy. Just giving it a try, makes you feel satisfied. And satisfaction is a step in the right direction.

If there is a good reason why you and I have these internal resistances, it is at best self-protection from change. Everyone is afraid of change. Think of internal resistances as the scared part of your mind. They are afraid of the uncertainty of what could happen. After you are actually done, what could happen?

In this case, there is

• the fear of rejection. What if you are really bad? The chance of being lousy is a risk that you must take, every time you work on your project.. The good part: The more time you spend, the better you (as well as the product) get. And even if you do suck, as a last resort, light the book on fire, banish the canvas to the attic and your song on a CD in the basement. There are only upsides to finishing projects, as you at least train for the next one.

• the fear of life-changing success. What if you are excellent? If people are enthusiastic about your work, do you have to quit your day job and become a full time artist? If your first song is good, do you have to perform next week at the nearby festival in front of your drunken relatives?

It is impossible to answer these questions in advance. You just have to figure it out. One thing is certain: You will only find out after you begun working. The paralyzing uncertainty is the assurance that everything will stay just the way it is. But you actually want a little change, right?

Yes, internal resistances can be overcome.

My simple solution: Just-do-it leads you to the goal.

Take a moment to prepare for what’s going happen, when you try to start.

My train of thought is: I know, that as soon as I make an attempt at starting, there will be internal resistances. As soon as I try to start, there will be a voice in my head telling me to do something else.

Make yourself aware: The moment I want to sit down and start, someone tries to outsmart me. Not this time! I can be sure, the internal resistances won’t come up with a good suggestion. Whatever they want me to do instead, is not what I am supposed to do.

Do you know the feeling, when you walk through the city and see a person from a distance. A person with a a coffee-to-go mug, a pamphlet or a survey in hand. For some reason you know that you’ll get bothered in a few minutes. You almost always anticipate a dark threat correctly.

How do you react when a money beggar, signature beggar or survey beggar threatens you? You get ready. You avoid eye contact, you ignore the person, you pretend that the most exciting photo of all time is stuck on your shoes. Oh, look. You act as if you’re not aware of the disturbers presence. Because you know, you would do nothing but waste time, if you paid attention to those people.

Well, same with the internal resistances. Before you start, get ready for them. Then: Avoid, ignore, and act as though the resistance does not exist.

They will come, they always do. They are nothing but a waste of time. Stop! Wait a moment! All the alternatives I’m thinking about are because of internal resistances. There is no good reason to do the laundry now. I want, must and will start working my project.

To become aware of internal resistance means to overcome it.

Make yourself a checklist:

• I want to work on my project.

• The internal resistances want to stop me.

• They want to distract me.

• I know they will come up with something.

• I can not let myself get distracted.

• When I start, they fall silent.

• I will start.

Make yourself aware of the benefits, if you sat down and just did what you want to do.

• You would feel good, you would be proud of yourself. Overcoming the internal resistances is a feat in itself. Your mind, body and soul will reward you instantly.

• You have more time to dedicate to your task. You can go the extra mile and pay more attention to small details.

Starting and giving a try is not only the better choice. It is the only choice. Nothing bad can happen, if you give it a shot. If you can put nothing but scribble on the canvas, or half of your sentences fall victim to backspace, maybe it really isn’t your day. But you only know that, if you give it a try. If you are not satisfied with the result, you have certainty. What more do you want? Well, a good result … but hey, it’s something.

Starting is difficult.

Starting is hard.

And it will be every goddamn time.

But you know how to do it.