Resistance training
If you live on this planet, you know what 2020 brought us: respirators, a home office, and a gym-free life.
I had a well-established routine around the gym at the time, but the circumstances forced me to shift... And because I adapted well and got comfortable with my new routine, it took me until today to visit a gym again (the stronger legs I want need heavier weights).
It took me several months to move from thinking and talking about returning to the gym to get a membership card (I even had to get it as a Christmas present)...
Then it took me a whole month from holding my membership card in my hands before I actually ended up going to the gym. There was always a reason why I couldn’t.
I was too hungry.
I was too full.
I was too creatively inspired…
Until I had an honest inner dialogue with myself last night and admitted that I didn’t want to go because, after all this time, a gym had become uncomfortably unfamiliar.
I wasn’t just about to go to a new facility. I was about to go alone, and I was about to visit a place that had a rhythm and I was going to be this element that is highlighting weird behaviour, creating weird sequences, and making noise by unexpectedly dropping heavy metal…
Even though I used to feel like home in such places, it suddenly felt new, and uncomfortable, as new stuff typically does.
So, I got my gym clothes ready the evening before to make it super easy to grab a backpack and leave the house to head out to the gym.
And I made it!
I made it to the gym and I made it at the gym.
I made it feel more familiar and I already look forward to next time.
But this is where I would like to transition from my gym story to all the stories we create when we are supposed to enter an unfamiliar environment, do something new, or enter a new situation.
We resist.
We postpone.
We literally make up reasons why we can’t.
Regardless of whether the gym is your scene or not, this is how we approach resistance training in life.
Whenever we step out to do something new; whenever we dare to take action toward our vision, dream, goal, or desired outcome, we are meeting resistance (and it’s uncomfortable) but our ability to overcome the resistance and be uncomfortable determines whether we stay where we are, or translate our dreams into visible, tangible, real things and experiences.
Living what we desire or being on a path we truly want to be on is not reserved for some lucky ones, as it may seem so when we are witnessing other people make the moves we haven’t dared to make. We all come up against resistance when we move out of our comfort and safety zones. The difference lies in our ability to overcome this. The moment we start meeting our resistance in a new way is the moment when we join what we thought was the lucky ones’ tribe.
If you find yourself constantly starting and then abandoning the thing that matters to you so much, or if you are stuck in a dreaming stage, talking about what you envision but never taking off, ask yourself with a radical self-honesty, “Have I been avoiding the discomfort that I feel every time I’m about to take a step toward what I want?” And then ask yourself, “How much do I want what I want?”
Our dreams, visions, and desires are calling us to resistance training - to grow! It’s uncomfortable in the beginning but if we stick with the training, we grow in our ability to move against resistance and witness our dreams taking shape outside of our minds and hearts.
The last nudge I’ll give you is from
…“Fear is characterized only by opposition to an experience, whereas Resistance is characterized by both opposition to and attraction to an experience.”
And I dare to believe that your dream is very attractive to you…
I certainly hope that you don’t fear using the comments section to share any thoughts that have risen as you read my words.
What unfamiliar environments or situations have you been hesitating to enter?
What is your proven tactic for overcoming resistance?
Let's discuss in the comments!
"Resistance training." Brilliant!