Tip: Resistance is a valuable teacher!
I enjoy the feeling of success and achievement, as I am sure you do too. When something has gone the way I expected it to go, it brings me a great sense of satisfaction and relief. It is not just the aspect of getting results that excites me, but it is the awareness that progress is being made, goals are being met and worthy accomplishments are coming to pass. The challenge with this, however, is that everything worthwhile comes with a price.
My son-in-law, Jordan, is built like Hercules. He has spent many hours working out, developing into a very strong, muscular individual. I admire his physique and would love to look like he does. However, there is just one challenge – I am not willing to spend the time, effort and energy that is required to bring about the results he has accomplished. You see, he felt the resistance by lifting weights for years and the resistance brought about the end result. He did not develop his muscular physique by wishing and hoping. He actually endured the resistance required by lifting weights in order to accomplish the goal he wanted to meet.
In our business endeavors, we will constantly face challenges. The main way I have learned how to do anything right, is by learning from my mistakes. Even when I get wise counsel from other people, it usually comes from the wisdom that was learned from mistakes that they have already made.
The same is true in relationships. Most of us have had a tremendously difficult experience in some relationship at one time or another. Whether with a parent, a spouse or a child, we have gotten to the place where we felt as though we simply could not make things work any longer. That is unfortunate, but it is the nature of life. Hopefully, the resistance that we felt made us better and stronger individuals. It is impossible to learn how to have good relationships by sitting alone in a room or by reading a book. We must actually have a relationship and learn from the resistance we experienced in our prior relationships in order to do better in the future. In other words, we learn from our mistakes.
The only way a butterfly develops its wings is by struggling to get out of the cocoon, thus becoming strong enough to fly once it has been freed. It is the resistance that causes the butterfly to be successful.
I once heard the story of two frogs who had fallen into some cream. The sides of the bucket were so slippery, that they could not escape no matter what they did. Both frogs paddled as hard as they could, but they just could not hop out. Finally, one frog was defeated and said, “It is no use. We are not going to make it! I have tried as hard as I can and now I am giving up.” With that, he sank into the cream and was never seen again.
The other frog continued to paddle as hard as he could. He pushed with all of his might back and forth through the cream. After a while, he noticed that the cream was beginning to thicken and so, his challenges became even more difficult. But, he would not give up!
Soon the frog noticed that because the cream was getting thicker and thicker, he was almost able to get on top of it. Just a short while later, the cream turned to butter. Now the little frog could stand on top of it and hop out. It was the resistance that gave him the ability to eventually succeed in his endeavor.
What is giving you the most resistance in life? Whatever it is, I can assure you that it has been sent to you as a gift to develop you and to help you become the person you never could have become without this specific resistance. I believe you will find it rewarding when you start receiving your resistance, rather than resisting your resistance! I know it has been that way for me and I believe it will be that way for you, too!
Tip: Resistance is a valuable teacher!
Have a great week! God bless you!
Dr. Robert A. Rohm
