Here’s how to free yourself!

The best time to create is when you don’t want to. The best time to exercise is when you don’t want to. The best time to admit when you are wrong is when you don’t want to.

Resistance shows up ALL the time. And you and me, we are pretty smart people. Even as I write this blog I am experiencing resistance!

I even stopped for a few minutes to eat and web surf before typing this sentence.

The key is to be able to master resistance. This is another War of Art principle from Steven Pressfield.

He sees resistance as the enemy – a tricky villain who sneaks up on us and is SO convincing, keeping us back from our life work and living our dreams. Resistance is EVERYwhere. It shows up on social networks, organizing and re-organizing, procrastination, busy work that doesn’t accomplish anything, and excuses. Resistance shows up everywhere.

Our job is to be AWARE of where it shows up and consciously DIVE INTO it and kick its butt.

One of the most important things I’ve been able to do with TDL is be consistent! I publish every day. That consistency is KEY. If I only published when I “wanted to” or “felt inspired,” I would probably publish only a few times a month when I really felt like it.

But when you call something “The Daily Love” – that is a BIG promise to live up to. And I do it every day. And that consistency, that busting through of resistance is what has helped me not only build an AMAZING community of daily lovers, it’s also helped me develop a writing practice and a practice that pushes over into every area of my life. I model my writing practice with workouts and my relationship.

I show up every day.

It’s an amazing teacher, and even though I still feel resistance, I push through and make it happen. And every day I win the battle with resistance, not because I don’t feel it, but because I know it’s coming and I know that right on the other side of facing resistance today I will claim my daily creative freedom!

So, where is this pesky bugger showing up in your life?

And how can you step into and beat resistance today?

What action do you want to take? What thing have you been putting off?

How can you set yourself up to win and beat the battle of resistance today? And then make it a practice for every day?

As always, the action happens in the comments below. Leave a comment and join the conversation! The TDL Community thrives in the comments and it’s a GREAT place to get support!

Love,

Mastin

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Mastin Kipp is the founder and CEO of The Daily Love. Follow him on Twitter here.

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http://beyouliveyourdream.blogspot.com/ Sarah Noel

Interesting post. On some levels I agree – resistence will often be there, weak or strong, and I look at it as sort of a test to see if we REALLY want to do something or not. If we do, we push on through and do it. If we don’t, it’s an easy excuse to not do it.

I also think, though, that sometimes we need to listen to the resistence and give ourselves a break. Sometimes we all need a break, a vacation, from our daily responsibilities and obligations. I know at least for me, when I push and push and push, I eventally burn myself out. Then I go even deeper into resistence until I don’t want to do ANYthing.

So I think the key is to listen to yourself and be kind to you!
Kindness can be pushing through and doing something that you know you WANT to do, but may still feel the pulls of resistence strategies (the procrastination you talked about). But kindness can also be going easy on yourself at times and giving yourself a breather.

Just listen to you, and respect what your body and spirit is telling you. That’s what I try to do.

Sarah
http://beyouliveyourdream.blogspot.com/2013/02/it-will-eventually-arriveand-pass-on-by.html
- em
  
  This is exactly what I believe also, the egg approach (less sperm)
Gyda

“The best time to create is when you don’t want to.” this is very empowering! I’ve written this down as a reminder. Now I’m excited to leave the computer and start to create! Thanks Mastin.
http://twitter.com/LivingUrBliss Bliss Magazine

Well..that has been my story all week. Putting off writing articles, putting off reading and most of all putting off inspired thought..I know that is terrible. Now i spent most of my Sunday evening catching up on last weeks work and working on this weeks work. Im BEAT and that is why i am still up…..NUTS!!!! I feel like a college student who waited till the last minute to hand in a term paper. But i get it and i actually got it this morning when i got up…It was loud and clear…When you have inspired thought take action its the universe’s way of handing you a gift, receive it and do what you are supposed to do. Needless to say all my work is done for the week..articles are written, Bliss Reads is completed and i am good to go. No more procrastinating. Have a Bliss filled week everyone.
- Tiffany
  
  Awesome congrats for taking action!!!
Jay

Real understanding comes once we understand what we’re actually resisting. I find that it’s usually a feeling. And it’s all about commitment. Are we choosing to be committed to resisting one feeling over being committed to accepting its opposite?
Jjabson

I think too that there is a component of practice for moving through resistance. The more often we acknowledge the resistance, and move through it, the better we get at two things: identifying when resistance is a present force, and taking action to be productive in our practice anyway.
Franco

Pressfield’s book is War of Art, isn’t it?

I’ve been rising at 4:45AM for last 8 days to go ‘work out’…there is major resistance every morning…I’m telling myself, “This is what I do. Now go.”
Sonia

Dear Mastin,
Yes I agree that we should not give in to resistance but if everyday you have to fight it, that to me sounds like a clue that something inside of you must be looked at and you have to become aware of whatever it is that is making you resist so much. Once you see what it is, then you can let go and transform it into somthing positive and then you will be free of the resistance and the daily struggle and you can enjoy your daily writing more. This is how I would deal with it. Much love ,
Sonia
Tiffany

I read the daily love everyday. I am bothered when I do not get a new e-mail from you…and I am amazed at your humility to let the world know you are human and everything will not be perfect. I read that Oprah reads you every morning, and I thought…hmmm maybe I should check it out…and I have been a fan every since…Reading this blog is a a part of my daily routine…Thank you…This i something I do on a consistent basis…and I try to respond…give feedback…now I need to create space…cleaning…I don’t like it …I am quite disorganized, but if I don’t clean my room and make it a space of tranquility then I will be cluttered all day…and what freedom is that…I will make an effort everyday to create positive space…

Dailylover,
Tiffany
Tal

I have a list of things that I want to take up as daily practices, and it seems like at the end of each day I hear two things in my head: 1) “Ugh, completely forgot to do all these things today…AGAIN!” then 2) “Okay, okay, okay, I really will start doing all this stuff tomorrow.” Of course, this has happened every day for nearly 6 months now!

Reading this post reminded me to kick my own butt and get moving already. I think I’ve said that in a comment on your site many times before, but honestly I mean it this time. Thank you for your posts – they are serving as huge reminders to get me going!!
http://www.are-you-there-kathleen-its-me-god.blogspot.com/ Kathleen Reynolds Chelquist

Perfect morning to read this blog. Thank you Mastin. Just recently, I got a whisper to video my class facilitated by Cinnamon Lofton who owns the rights to the Living Love Foundation. I am resisting the whole process. I really didn’t think I was, until RIGHT NOW. I am moving very slowly with it. It is A LOT of work, especially since I need help from others to pull it off. So, I will take a step in calling someone today who has the camera equipment. We all know that listening to our heart is not always what we WANT to do. My mind knows that exposing my EGO on camera is a WHOLE other enchilada than blogging about it. My EGO says, “UGH…you don’t need to do all that work!” My heart replies, “SHHHHH…Just do it.” And, I know which road leads to…Heaven On Earth. Timely to stop resisting and simply…SURRENDER.
The Daily Commenter,
Kathleen
- Sonjakay
  
  YEAH Kath!
  - http://www.are-you-there-kathleen-its-me-god.blogspot.com/ Kathleen Reynolds Chelquist
    
    THANKS SONJA!! XO
http://twitter.com/AthenaRisingNow Athena Rising Now

I love the idea t “set myself up to win”. In order overcome resistance I make a plan and prepare for my creativity!
http://www.scenterofthemind.com/ Scenter of the Mind

Wow Mastin,
Great message today and so timely for what I’m facing in my life. Actually reading the Daily Love is one of my resistance habits, sorry to say, but today it was just what I needed to hear to get me out of my resistance mode. Thanks.
diana

Interesting comment by Sarah. I’d like to build upon it. I’d rather feel resistance toward taking a break and forcing myself to take the break than to obey the resistance I’m feeling toward my own calling and greatness. How can we expect to manifest with our thoughts when we can’t even answer an email in a timely fashion? We need to re-train our minds to believe the physical world reflects our thoughts…and sometimes the fastest way to do that is DOING the physical action you’re thinking about. Great post, Mastin…I so needed this today.
Sonaldatta26

What happens when resistence become the life?
Maura McCarley Torkildson

I find that the act of moving past the resistance shows me my mettle, which helps me feel better about myself, which helps me remain inspired, which helps me to continue to move past my resistance. I also find it is wise to examine the resistance, is it just run of tghe mill resistance (which to me is like the hill we need to get over to boost our momentum) or is it a warning from my intuition? Navigating life doesn’t come with hard and fast rules, to be good navigators we need to become good at being aware and reading the signs…

Love this blog……
Andrea

This so hit home for me this morning when I read it, and I started cleaning out my office, once we started (I got my daughter and her boyfriend to help me), there was no stopping. I wonder how we sometimes get into such a state of.. I just don’t want to do this right now, even though we know better. Clearing out space, making space creates room for more and better. Well it is all done now and I kept telling myself this past hour how proud I am of myself to have it accomplished. Thank you, as always.
Kylie

as usual, perfect timing…. i was just feeling overwhelmed/frantic at work and deciding whether to forgo my lunch time workout session and continue working. i have an injury too (which won’t prevent me from ALL exercise) which is also an added level of resistance (or excuse).

now i’m going to go and i’m going to have fun, do what i can within limits of my injury, and know that it will help me focus this afternoon.

thanks for making me push through the resistance
Pdmdgirl9

Every day it’s as if you wrote this blog just for me! It’s exactly what I’m going through. I just started an exercise program but I’m feeling so much resistance to working out –even for 20 minutes a day! It’s not that I physically can’t do it or even that it’s too hard or painful. There’s just a resistant stubborn streak. How do we get past that? Just power through? I’m not so sure will power works….
cheryl

Wow. I’ve been calling resistance all these years as PROCRASTINATION and that my procrastination is just a part of my PERSONALITY. Thank you. I will be open to changing my perception; and understanding resistance.