Tag Archives: resistance

I haven’t got time

Ask people to do something that’s crucial for their health, their stomach or their sex life and they’ll drop everything and do it right away. 

Anything else? Good luck getting it done anytime soon. 

There’s always time for scrolling and watching TV. Yoga classes and reading endless self help books. Another news notification or LinkedIn comment to reply to.

But something to work on that’s hard to achieve, really important and has a lifelong impact if you can work it out? Bottom of the list.

Lack of purpose

Those who say they haven’t got time for the important stuff in life don’t understand what avoiding it really means. They’re drifting through each day. They lack purpose and goals. They’re putting everyone and everything else in life before themselves.

If you tell everyone you’re always busy, you really need to have a look at how you spend your time. 

Are you honestly flat-out for 8 to 10 hours a day working? I think not. 

It sounds cool to be busy. 

People act impressed when we say that we’re under the pump, but rarely is this busy with stuff that’s getting us closer to our personal goals. 

We put all that off because, of course, we’re too busy. “I haven’t got time.”

Time is easy to find

If you were given a free, all-expenses-paid holiday for three weeks leaving in three hours time and you had to complete your work before you left, you’d get it done. 

If someone close to you was about to die and you had the chance to see them before they passed away, you’d be there. 

So why don’t you go to the gym and work out when you say you will? 

Why do you eat the wrong stuff when you know you shouldn’t? 

Why do you skip meditation, don’t clean your teeth, or go to bed an hour later than you know you should?

The priority is not you

It’s because to you, you’re not the priority. You’re bottom of your list and everyone and everything else is above you. 

You have time for client calls and meetings about meetings and emails – endless emails.

But your growth and wellbeing? Your health and wellness? It always comes second.

And then you wonder why you suffer. Why you have issues with anger and anxiety.

Top of your list

Getting some order in your life will help. Start with a calendar and go from there. 

But first, take it even further back. Ask yourself why you’re not top of your list every single day. 

Solve that one and things will gradually get better.

Realistic expectations are crucial

The excitement that builds at the start of any new project can be infectious. The idea sparks something in our minds that opens up new possibilities and lines of research. We get into action.

As time goes by and we get down to work, the size of the task can become clearer than it did at the start of the process. And, at this point, it can pay to take a step back.

Are expectations and reality lined up?

Bite off more than you can chew and the outcome can end up being destructive for all involved. You miss deadlines, targets get further away, your mood changes as things get real and you start to beat yourself up for falling behind.

Is your ego taking you on this new journey? I wanted to run a marathon for my 48th birthday with three weeks training (dumb idea for anyone at any age) and, on reflection, I wanted to prove to my ego that I’ve still got it – and I clearly haven’t as one training run has left me on the sidelines for two weeks and counting. 

The reasons why you’re not getting things done to take you towards this new goal can be resistance. This is something we all face and it shows up when there is something real at stake, so, in some cases, this is a sign that we have to dig deeper. 

But once we weigh all this stuff up and set realistic expectations, the energy keeps flowing through us as we work towards the goal and the chances of success increase.