I recently joined a gym and had a complimentary personal training session. I had not worked out in quite a while, so needless to say, I was in pain. A lot of pain. Not only did I find myself twinging at every movement that involved pulling, lifting or basically using my arm, I also started not wanting to make certain movements that I knew would be painful. Then a thought entered my mind that changed my whole experience. OK, it hurts. You are going to move your arm, and it is going to hurt. This simple acceptance of what I would feel created an instantaneous shift in perception. Yes, I still had physical discomfort, but I had released the mental resistance associated with it. The conscious choice to accept the pain set me free to be in the present moment without any mental or emotional distress.

While this experience may seem inconsequential in the big scheme of things, it is a simple example that shows how resistance can play a role in how we maneuver through life. Many times we avoid taking action because we fear experiencing a feeling or situation that we perceive as uncomfortable, and before we know it, we find ourselves in a state of stasis.

Within the word resistance we find I cease. When we resist anything we stop being present, and the now is where we find ourselves. If you consider when you feel most like yourself, you would probably discover that there is a sense of flow. Flow equals movement or the expression of who you are. When you resist, the flow of you stops and what comes forth is fear. We become stuck because we obey the fear.

In order to move forward, we must be willing to feel and experience the now regardless of the form it takes. We may have to admit that we are not where we want to be in our lives and allow ourselves to feel what that is like. We must be willing to take action and acknowledge that there may be discomfort associated with an actual shift. At this point, fear will start talking, perhaps quite loudly. Will others be upset by my newfound expression? Will it require too much effort? Will things change in ways I didn’t expect? Will I lose people and experiences I care about?

The answer is maybe, and this thought may be too painful to imagine, so it becomes easier to stay put. What is important to consider is that in many cases, it is the resistance to the perceived negative feelings that prevent you from moving forward, not necessarily the actual experience of them.

When you are able to get honest and say, it may hurt, it may be uncomfortable, but I choose to move forward despite of this, you will be able to get the momentum needed to harness the energy to see your plans and dreams come to life.

Sometimes it hurts to be human. Period. However, when you can summon the courage to go beyond the fear you may be surprised to discover the freedom to experience the joy and fulfillment that life has waiting for you.

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