I have been on the journey to assist those struggling with anxiety since November 2010 and have encountered a great deal of resistance along the way. This resistance is something that I haven’t encountered at this level in any other pursuits, I believe it is because I have never cared about a project as much as I do with this one.
Knowing how devastating living with anxiety, panic attacks, and depression can be, I want others to know they have options available and change is possible. The resistance has come in many forms, beginning with having panic attacks thinking about sharing my experiences (I know, how ironic), to having doubts and self-sabotaging with thoughts if I was capable of making my plans a reality. After exploring the resistance and reading into it, there appears to be a correlation between how important a goal is to you and the amount of resistance encountered.
This realization has brought a level of comfort as I now regard resistance as an indication that I am pursuing the right goal. This was true when facing the panic exposure exercises and remains true in making sales calls. I tend to build the tasks up to seem like huge obstacles, then complete them and feel that the challenge wasn’t that great. This has shifted my approach to challenges as I have the confidence that I have broken through the resistance before and can do so again.
I have found this especially helpful now with making sales calls to book workshop facilitation and speaking engagements. I know that my experiences and workshops provide great value and hope for audience members, the feedback from audience members in person and on forms confirm it, but there’s some hesitation that is being worked on and reduced. With the latest calls made, I have been focusing on my message and using it as an anchor when I feel the doubts before making a sales call. I made one today and was met with welcoming response, so I will keep building on that.
Best wishes breaking through your resistance and remember that it’s an indication that you’re working on a project that is meaningful.