It’s 11:15am on a Wednesday. I’m at my keyboard in the throes of creative paralysis, running through the usual list of “shoulds”.
I should be chasing down leads. That big rebuild that contacted me last week. I should write him something classy yet outrageously clever.
I should be writing blog posts. Really juicy ones that give away all my secrets. “The 1-second hack that makes your web copy instantly more relatable.” Or something.
I should be editing that SaaS page that’s due Friday. Holy moses, their conversion rates are gonna skyrocket.
Except I’m not doing any of those things. I’m staring at a blinking cursor wondering, Where do I start? What’s more important, the current client or the next client? Should I write a new blog or run another A/B split test on my opt-in content?
It’s the old dog, resistance.
Since returning to work after baby, overhauling my website and tripling my business in a matter of months, I consider resistance my most powerful foe. (And ally, but that’s a story for another day.)
Resistance is not to be confused with laziness. Often I catch friends and clients berating themselves for their inability to work harder, faster, better. (Yep, myself included.) But here’s the thing:
It’s not about you.
Dear sufferer of resistance, I have an important message for you.
You are not lazy. You haven’t lost your mojo. And your business model (probably) doesn’t need a complete overhaul.
Resistance is just your brain rebelling against change, the same way your muscles ache after your first run each Spring.
Celebrate your resistance. It’s just your brain adjusting to the flood of yummy hormones you got starting that new business, launching that new product, closing that hot deal.
I love what Danielle Laporte has to say about positive change-induced resistance (i.e. the emotional agony of growing a business):
“Your new healthy habits are asking your cells to literally alter their shape. And to you, this feels like a major drag. In reality, your cells are loving it, […] they’re transforming to accommodate your recalibrated levels of positive mood endorphins. They just need a little more time to reshape themselves.” – Danielle Laporte, in The Desire Map
Patience, dear resistance fighter. Patience. This too shall pass. One day, perhaps moments from now, your mojo will return. You’ll be hustling new business like this moment never happened. But here's another thing:
Your ability to achieve your business goals is directly proportionate to your ability to conquer resistance. (Tweet it)
Let me repeat. You don’t need a new career. You probably don’t need a new product. You have simply forgotten your own magnificence. And one day, perhaps moments from now, you will remember.
(These words from one who’s considered, however briefly, careers in engineering, financial planning, and once spent Three. Whole. Years. in law school. My mojo plays hide and seek with me almost daily.)
So sit down and do something. Anything. A blog post. A phone call. Sell your shizzle in a well-crafted email.
Poof? Now there’s a whole page where once was a blinking cursor.
And lo! I remember my own magnificence. I remember that I’m wearing freshly polished leather boots and a flowing dress that makes me feel like Queen Amidala. I remember that I write like a boss. That my clients businesses are thriving thanks to drip campaigns and split-tests orchestrated by yours truly. I remember.
Take that, resistance.