How can you swim your way through all the failed commitments?
Let me guess, if you are reading this blog, you probably had issues with productivity and committing to changes. I have it too. But after a lot of research and reading, I got this clear idea in my head that I wasn't unproductive, it was internal resistance. ..............................................................
Wen I was going through my graduation, I didn't had bad weeks, I had bad months. Everyday, you wake up to this thought “Today is the day. Today I'm gonna actually do it.” and eventually the day ticks and it's 11 pm and you still haven't done a thing and it feels like you might as well go to bed and start over tomorrow but deep down you have this stinky sense that you won't do it tomorrow either. And lo, the cycle repeats.
It doesn't has to be a graduation of course. This why-am-i-not-able-to-do-it circle can happen anytime when you are trying to do something you are desperate about. You find yourself sinking into this quicksand so treacherous that you wouldn't wish it on your worst enemy.
Which also makes sense. Why wouldn't you feel so degraded when everyday you vandalize a promise you made to yourself about something you care about AND you don't know why AND you can't do anything about it AND you can't even blame anyone for it because the only person responsible for this is YOU!!!
But let me tell you this. You are not Unproductive. You are not Lazy. You are not Irresponsible.
You are experiencing Internal Resistance.
So, What Is Internal Resistance and is it Evil?
Well, it's not a Dark Side of us. It IS a part of us and it grows from the exact platform where we have our talents and goals.
Internal resistance is an attempt to avoid the pain we associate with successfully doing the thing.
Every person’s internal resistance has its own particular causes and flavours and effects.
Ever wondered HOW to get out of this? Internal resistance is not lazy — it’s f*cking energetic as hell! It takes a lot of work to push back on our desire to move toward our goal, day after day.
Basically, we’re already locked in a mental tug of war, and trying to apply discipline just means both sides pull harder.
You are not being self-destructive. You just have two deeply rooted and fundamentally contradictory ideas about what is best for you: doing the thing, and not doing the thing. Here are some places to start:
Recognize that internal resistance is on your side. Part of what is so awful about the cycle-of-not-doing-the-thing is that it feels so self-destructive. But internal resistance does not want to destroy us; it literally wants the opposite! It only exists to protect us from pain.
Take the first step. Just by doing something new, you gain the skills to overcome your fears. Anything in life that is extremely rewarding is going to come with a few seconds of trepidation. Push yourself through those first 30 nerve-wracking seconds to get to the exciting, positive outcome.
Turn pressure and expectations into motivation. Whether you’re feeling pressure from your boss, your co-workers, or yourself, turn those expectations into motivation. Turn the pressure into a positive and push forward toward success.
Eliminate fear by being prepared. Arm yourself with information. Think through every potential question that could come up and how you would answer each one. If you’ve prepared yourself for the challenge you’re facing, you have no reason to be worried.
Take every rejection in stride. Throughout my journey, I’ve chosen to see every “no” as a step on my way to success. From very early on, if someone said no or even hung up on me, I just saw it as being that much closer to a yes.
Surround yourself with positive, successful people. One of my keys for finding success in sales was working with helpful, competitive colleagues who motivated me.
Celebrate your successes. Every time I made a high-pressure call or reached out to a new prospect, I would look at all of the big names who had said yes and I’d use that as motivation. With every success, I gained new confidence.