The Path of Least Persistence

We are well into the New Year and many of us hold good intentions for starting on the right track. We have stacks of books, unplayed podcasts, magazine articles, coaching notes, and online courses to help us be a better version of ourselves. If you are anything like me, there is always a draw to a new book, a new program, and a new strategy to streamline life and to grow to the next level. But all of that gathering can lead to a small stack of guilt and shame that makes action even harder.

And in the sea of all of these resources, there is still the key lever to get in motion - implementation. So if we have all of these great resources (many which may have been costly), why do we often resist taking the next step? Why do we taxi our proverbial planes on the tarmac, never quite taking off? Why do we make things so complicated for ourselves?

I love the saying that my coach, Nicole Keating, shared with me. "How could this be easy?" It's such a simple statement but it really gets me thinking about how I am the one making things difficult. I am the one volunteering for the shame spiral as I review all of the things I should have done or promised to do.

So I decided to try something different. After learning a bit about neuroscience and really loving the work of Dr. Joe Dispenza and Byron Katie, I am tryng a grand experiment. In this unscientific trial, I am listening to my emotions, my body, and my intutitve voice and I am discovering that it does not at all serve me to force myself to do something I think I should do. That is not to say that I don't pay my rent. What I am saying, however, is that when I feel joy, excitement, and attraction to what I am doing, that I AM doing something right. And my feeling is that when a book needs to be read, it will present itself.

So what does this have to do with you? If you find that you are having trouble folllowing through with something or that you have not earned the Persistence Badge, then it might be that you could benefit from scanning your life for what feels easy (and why) and what feels hard (and why). Just notice, like a scientific observer.

It is my belief that something magical can start to happen when you release yourself from some of the unnecessary "shoulds" and when you explore how you can make things easier for yourself. So, I leave you to ponder this idea and I welcome your thoughts!