Scroll through Facebook. Watch Jimmy Fallon Lip-Sync Battle with Emma Stone. Stare in total awe and admiration of how perfect she is. Wonder for a few seconds about trying out red hair again. Dismiss those thoughts immediately remembering last disaster. Feel semi-productive because video produces positive endorphins which fuels positive vibes, and that’s sort of like soul-care, which is a good thing, right?
Scroll through Twitter. Again. Retweet something to my daughter because I just know she’ll find it hilarious, too. And it’s good to stay connected with her like that.
Post an inspirational quote to Instagram. (Well, technically, search Pinterest first to find something that fits EXACT mood and what it seems the world needs to hear today. Then post.)
While on Pinterest, get caught up in looking for new ways to wear denim shirts. Over a black dress, tied in a knot? I like it! Pin it. Check out St. Patrick’s Day printables. Struggle with printer and settings and finally in a huff, decide this is taking up way too much time. MUST. BE. PRODUCTIVE.
Look in the mirror for a minute. How did I miss that when I was tweezing? Maybe I need new tweezers. Or better lighting. Think about new lamps or overhead lighting. Wouldn’t a chandelier over my bed be so chic? Pledge to find one next time at thrift store.
Back to Instagram for just one sec. Search trending hash tags. Make a mental note to eternally like Taylor better than Katy and conclude if Katy throws shade at Taylor one more time, we will not even listen to her music anymore. Realize it must have to do with John Mayer. It’s always about boys. Sigh audibly.
Make another cup of coffee. Check the label on the Fat Free Half ‘n Half. Again. Just to make sure this is not where the few extra pounds are coming from. Remember eating 8 Thin Mints and 4 Tag-Alongs last night and admit it’s more likely from that. Silently curse Girl Scouts. Take it back. That feels wrong. Reassure yourself it is NOT from beer. It just can’t be.
Do a quick Google Search on calorie count of Shamrock shakes. Shit. It’s a lot. Decide NOT to have one this year. Back to Pinterest for one sec to search low fat Copy Cat recipes of Shamrock Shakes. Decide NOT to pin the one with kale in it. Just no.
Resistance: The habits and behaviors that keep us from reaching our goals.
On days when I’m feeling very zen and calm and self-aware, this is what I call all of that nonsense.
Because it feels so much nicer to call it resistance than procrastination. Or laziness (which I detest). But whatever you call it, and whatever it looks like in YOUR life, the end result is the same: Resistance keeps each one of us from reaching our goals and accomplishing even the smallest tasks. Daily. Monthly. Yearly.
I’ve written about resistance before, because it’s definitely a thing: A form of avoiding something that feels uncomfortable. Too hard. Too scary. Overwhelming. Unfamiliar. We get overcome by feelings of fear, inadequacy, self-doubt, perfectionism, or even self-loathing. And it just feels a little bit easier to distract ourselves with a nap or the internet or game apps or TV then to actually roll up our sleeves, bite the bullet and dive in.
But the enemy of resistance is action. Any action.
And as my brother reminded me the other night:
Action precedes motivation.
This feels so true. Sometimes when I finally buckle down to finish a project or make a phone call I’ve been putting off, or start a new blog post, I wonder why I waited so long. It’s never as hard as I had pictured. I just needed to start.
The action of getting started fuels the momentum that finishing requires.
I just came up with that. I like it. I think I’ll make a cool little graphic about it. You know, just to remind myself. And tweet it. And maybe Instagram it, too.
Right after I get my work done. Obviously.
Truly Julie 