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In this lesson, we discuss obstacles and how we get in our own way — our biggest obstacle is ourselves.
- Procrastination. You know you’re supposed to do your creative habit, but you put it off while you check your email real quick. There’s something uncomfortable about the task, maybe it’s overwhelming or difficult or full of uncertainty. There’s resistance in our minds, so we go away from the resistance and go towards something unfamiliar.
- Distractions. We’re going to go check on our favorite distractions real quick. Works hand in hand with procrastination.
- We put too much of a burden on ourselves. We want to create something big, perfect, brilliant. We want to create for a long time. All of this is too much of a burden, and if we can lighten the load and simplify, it will help.
- Ideals. Our ideals for ourselves are also a burden that we might try letting go of.
Any of these obstacles are a form of resistance in our minds. We run from resistance. We don’t normally face the resistance. This is the biggest obstacle — not facing the resistance.
Instead, we might try opening our hearts and staying with the resistance. Sit there with it. It become less and less scary as we get used to sitting with the resistance. It’s “no big deal.”
You face the resistance, start to accept it, and then do your task despite the resistance. Facing the resistance with friendliness, openness, acceptance and curiosity … this is how we melt the resistance. Be loving towards it. Be curious about what it’s like.
Then work despite the resistance. All the obstacles can be met this way: with courage, friendliness, openness, acceptance, curiosity.
Exercise
Try working with your resistance as described above, for the next week.
Discuss these obstacles and working with the resistance, including your biggest struggles, in Slack.