Resistance is your teacher

When I first read about Sheryl Sandberg’s book “Lean In”, I felt shackles rise and great resistance to what I understood she was saying. I even wrote a rather accusatory blog about it – Why Can’t A Woman Be More Like a Man? click here to view article

Interested in my resistance, I decided to read “Lean In”. Well, I can’t tear myself away from it. Sheryl is speaking not just directly to me, but as me. It is difficult to believe that the COO of Facebook, one of the most powerful women in the world, has the same emotions about career and leadership as I do. Yet she does, and there are huge lessons for me in this.

What’s really interesting though is what my resistance was telling me. This, the “lean in” place, is somewhere that I don’t want to go. It is uncomfortable, frustrating, guilt-inducing. As always I have a choice – remain in resistance or acknowledge and accept it. It is only in the latter that I can open to the learning and insight from others’ experiences. And that is the beauty about being human – we don’t have to make every mistake ourselves. We can choose to learn from others’ mistakes. Our resistance signals that we have a lesson to learn. Choose to acknowledge your resistance today. And tune in to yet another life lesson.

Here are 3 simple steps you can take to embrace the lessons from your resistance:

1. Notice that and what you are resisting. Your emotions will give you a clue – any negatives are likely coming from fear, the root of resistance
2. Consider why you are resisting. Just consider – no judgement
3. Acknowledge and give thanks for the resistance and the lessons you are learning or about to learn