Day 289: When Resistance Looks Like Enthusiasm
Whenever there's talk about manifesting, people ask the same two questions.
Why don't things come instantly, and do I have to keep asking?
Both have simple answers.
A big reason things don't come instantly is that it would be very disruptive to our lives much of the time.
Can you imagine if everything you gave some degree of thought to just showed up in your life?
Maybe you really thought you wanted something for a few hours or a few days and then realized you really didn't. But by that time it was already in your life. Talk about messy!
But the bigger reason things don't manifest instantly shares the same answer: do I have to keep asking?
It's all about getting clear and letting go of resistance.
You only have to ask once. The part of continued focus is for you to dial in exactly what you really want. What is the feeling and the emotion you're really reaching for? Because it's not actually the thing.
Also, is this desire fighting for positioning in your mind with several other things you want at the same time? What are you making a priority, meaning what is getting most of your focus?
And then it takes however long it takes for you to clear the resistance that has previously stopped it from being in your life.
Of course, there are practical things involved in timing too. Other people have their own decisions to make, circumstances have to come together, and sometimes things simply take time to develop.
But within the Teachings of Abraham, the part we're responsible for is our own alignment. We can't control every outside circumstance, but we can become aware of the resistance we're carrying and how it may be affecting the choices we're making.
Yesterday I realized I wasn't focused on finishing things that had cost me the most to learn, money or time.
I was focused on the things that interested me most. I'm very interested in AI and taking multiple AI classes at the same time.
It would be easier if they showed up one at a time, but they didn't, so I'm juggling these classes and implementing as fast as I can so I can get back to things that objectively should be more important.
Let's say you invested in something that was $5000 and it would help you make more money and/or prevent you from losing money. And you invested $2000 to learn a skill that would improve your business. And you invested $10,000 for mentoring that would help you take your entire life to the next level and help you to be happier and more fulfilled.
And then you see something fun, like learning a new craft, and you buy that for $47, for when you have time. And then there's a new calming workout for $89 that is right up your alley, and you've been meaning to get in better shape.
Which of those things gets your attention, if any? And does it have anything at all to do with how much it cost you?
Because I learned a lesson many times over at the school of hard knocks, that for most of us, the amount we paid for something rarely matters when it comes to actually doing the thing.
And spending more money doesn't automatically make something the right priority today. Sometimes we buy something and later discover it isn't the right fit. That's information too.
The question is whether we're consciously deciding where our attention belongs, based on the life we're creating, or letting whichever opportunity feels easiest or most exciting make that decision for us.
We tend to do what either calls to our heart first or feels the lightest energetically. What's interesting, what's fun, what will lighten the load, at least as we picture it in our minds.
There's nothing wrong with choosing something because it brings us joy. I've spent a lot of time talking about how important that is.
But there is a difference between doing something because it genuinely feeds our soul and choosing it because it gives us a way to avoid something that feels uncomfortable.
We can usually recognize the difference when we're willing to look at what keeps getting pushed aside.
Are we making a conscious choice about where our energy goes, or are we finding increasingly interesting reasons to avoid the thing we said we wanted?
Now maybe the biggest benefits will actually come from those larger purchases. We'll never know if we don't complete them.
If the energy feels too heavy when you think about digging in, you don't want to do it.
Even though, doing the hard thing may be how you release the resistance that brings you want you want.
On the other hand, for example, every time I see one of those ads for making the colorful dog collars, it makes me feel happy.
Why?
It reminds me of when I was in my 20s and loved to do macramé. It was so much fun and I had lots of plants so I needed several elaborate plant hangers.
Did I buy it? No. It was a distraction brought up by a fond memory.
If I bought that kit or workshop or whatever it was, I haven't looked that closely, would I actually do it?
Personally, probably not. Because I have stronger priorities that also spark the creative part of my brain, like AI classes that benefit my personal and business life.
But for someone that needed a distraction to not focus on all those more expensive, more beneficial, and heavier-feeling programs, yes they may make the dog collars. And still have the resistance that's preventing them from manifesting what they asked for.
All of those are examples of resistance that we don't recognize as our "manifesting prevention program".
They are clever disguises for possible feelings of not deserving what we want, feeling guilty about wanting it, or any other underlying feeling or belief that stands in our way by causing resistance.
So, it's not that the Universe doesn't want us to have what we say we want. It brought us the money to pay for all those things we bought to make it happen. We just have to choose to actually take the action that will open us to have it in our life and also clear the resistant thoughts.
Out of that list of things, I would focus on what shifts things inside of me first, the mentoring. Because we have to become the person who is able to take on what we've asked for.
Becoming the person who can comfortably receive and sustain what we've asked for often means changing things about the way we live now. We may have to develop new skills, take greater responsibility, become more visible, change our routines, or let go of an identity that has felt safe for years.
We can sincerely want the outcome while still feeling resistance to some of the changes that come with it. And if we aren't aware of that, we'll keep finding other things to do while wondering why the desire hasn't arrived.
Maybe part of the resistance is in not wanting to do the work to become who we need to be to carry this new thing.
Then stop the bleeding of money and/or create new money, then skills to grow the business.
And yet, it's easier said than done, because we are human.
We get excited about new possibilities, we want to explore things that interest us, and sometimes we don't recognize that we're giving our attention to everything except the thing we said mattered most.
That's what I caught myself doing yesterday.
And now that I see it, I can make a different choice. I can look at everything I'm learning and creating and decide what deserves my attention first, based on the life I'm moving toward.
That's part of clearing resistance too. Becoming aware of how we're participating in our own delays and making choices that support what we've asked for.
We only have to ask once. After that, we keep clarifying the desire, paying attention to what comes up inside us, and choosing where our energy goes.
Sometimes the next step in manifesting what we want is sitting right there on our calendar or in a program we've already paid for.
We just have to be willing to recognize it and do the work.
Today's Gentle Practice
Think about something you've been saying you want that hasn't moved forward the way you expected.
Ask yourself:
Am I giving my attention to what will help me create this, or am I staying busy with things that feel easier?
Look at what you're choosing to do with your time and energy.
Notice whether something important keeps getting pushed aside, even though you know it would move you closer to what you want.
You may already have the next step, the information, or the tools you need.
Today, see what happens when you give that step your attention.
With you,
Lynn
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