Decide How You’ll Respond to Resistance

One of the things I've learned about changing my life is that it's pretty easy to make a new decision when everything is going well.

It's when things don't go according to plan that I get to find out whether I'm actually practicing that decision.

Maybe someone says something that makes me feel criticized. Maybe something happens at work that creates uncertainty. Or maybe I'm about to take a step toward something I really want, and suddenly I can think of a dozen reasons why it probably won't work.

Those are the moments when my old beliefs and reactions tend to show up.

And if I haven't given any thought to how I want to handle them, chances are I'll respond the same way I always have.

So here's what I'd encourage you to do as you head into this week.

Think about one situation that's likely to bring up some resistance. Something familiar enough that you can almost predict how you'll react.

Then think about what you normally do when that happens.

Do you get defensive? Start worrying? Put something off? Assume the worst?

Now, while you're not in the middle of that situation, decide how you'd like to respond differently.

When this happens, I will practice __________ instead.

Maybe you'll take a moment before responding. Maybe you'll question the assumption you're making. Or maybe you'll remind yourself of the decision you've made about who you want to become.

The goal isn't to make sure you never experience resistance again.

It's to recognize that even when an old reaction shows up, you have an opportunity to make a different decision.

And this week, you can give yourself a chance to practice it.