Serial Quitter? Company Jumper? This is for YOU.
Any serial quitters out there? You know the type. You start something and you’re ready to go, but……then something happens. Self doubt moves in or things didn’t happen exactly as you had planned. Instead of pushing through, you quit. What’s worse is often it’s before you even get started.
How about Company Jumpers? You go from company to company, and you’re pumped about each one. Then it happens. Things don't fall into your lap so you’re out. You move on to another company. Clearly it will be better. Clearly THIS is the company you’ve been looking for. Nope. Just another company that didn’t work and you’re on to the next.
Quitting isn’t your problem nor is finding the right company. Resistance is at play and it is out to destroy you. It’s not here to paralyze you or even stagger you. It’s goal is to demolish you and it happens to all of us.
In the book, War of Art by Steven Pressfield, the author explains how resistance shows up, what it is disguised as, and how to overcome. Today, I want to make you think. I want to ignite some self-reflection.
We all have resistance. The important thing is what we do with it. Will it defeat you or maybe even destroy you? Not if you’re aware of it and how it shows up. So, let’s dive in. There are several ways it shows up but I’m going to highlight three.
Procrastination, the THIEF OF DREAMS
Any procrastinators out there? Coming out of the Public Relations field where the majority of my work was on deadline, procrastination was a game we loved to play. The thrill of the fire drill got our adrenaline pumping like no other. The problem is not everything is under deadline. So what then?
According to Pressfield, procrastination is the most common way resistance shows up. It is the easiest to rationalize and we tend to believe that it isn’t a big deal because we aren’t saying we aren’t going to do something. We are simply telling ourselves we will do it later. If you’re in the direct sales field you know how important daily outreaches are. You also know how easy it is to put them off until tomorrow. The real challenge comes when what started as one day, becomes a habit. Daily procrastination is a HUGE dream stealer. The good news is we are in charge and can make a change at any given moment. If you find yourself falling into this camp. Make a commitment to change that procrastination habit into an activity habit. Find an accountability partner and report your daily activity to them. REMEMBER, you’re either chipping away at your goals or you're putting your life on hold.
Criticism
Any fellow critical eye gals out there? When I left my 20 year career to become an entrepreneur, I has a MASSIVE critical eye. I learned it during my career days. My job required me to see all sides of an issue which meant I mastered the critical eye. It served me well in my profession but did not serve me well as an entrepreneur. I’ve since learned that the things I’m most critical of are usually something I need to work on. Resistance works much the same. If you find yourself being critical of those around you it likely has more to do with you than it does them. When others step into their destiny, or their true self, NOTHING screams more loudly that we aren’t doing the same. Rather than congratulate them on their brave move, we find it easier to criticize. This protects ourselves from having to reflect on where we are falling short. Watch yourself. If you go into critical mode faster than encouragement mode, you’re likely not stepping into all you know you should be. Hoping or celebrating someone else’s failure shows more of a character flaw on you than anything else. You’re on a path of self-growth when you can get to a place where you’re actually inspired by other’s successes.
Fear
Anybody waiting to make a move until the fear goes away? I’ve got news for you. You’re going to be waiting FOREVER. I’m still scared but have proved time and time again that doing it scared is part of the gig. I built my business battling fear all along the way rather than the absence of fear. Anything worth doing will spark fear. Fear isn’t a sign you shouldn’t be doing it. Fear is actually a sign that you should be doing it. Learn how to move despite the fear rather than waiting for the fear to go away. Fear is part of the process. It’s a bragging right of being an entrepreneur. Feel the fear and do it anyway.
If you would like more insight on about how resistance shows up. Send me a note for the entire list. I will gladly send it your way. Now get out there and conquer resistance. You have important work to do!
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If you have any questions or comments about "resistance", I'd love to hear them. Plop them down in the comment section below.
Happy self reflecting!