The Myth Behind Resistance

There’s a kind of resistance that looks like avoidance.
You’ve got the calendar open, the task written down, the time set aside–and still, it doesn’t happen.

Cue the spiral:
What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I just do this? Maybe I’m sabotaging myself. Maybe I’m not cut out for this.

This is the moment so many of us misread. We think we’re failing. But what if it’s not that at all?

What if resistance isn’t a wall, but a whisper?

In my work (and in my own life)I’ve come to understand resistance as a kind of communication.
It’s the body, the nervous system, the subconscious, or the soul trying to tell us something.
Trying to say: Wait. Not yet. Not like this.

And yes…sometimes it’s fear, grief, or an intuitive no.

And sometimes, it’s the edges of change pressing in before we’re ready to name what’s changing.

My friend, Mary, came up with a card pull question I still return to again and again:

What is the nature of my resistance?

It’s simple. It’s brilliant. And it cuts through the noise.
Because the truth is: resistance doesn’t always mean stop.
It can mean look here.

But if we don’t realize it’s communicating with us or we meet it with judgment, we may miss the message entirely.

But when we meet it with curiosity?
It becomes a map. It points to a before-and-after moment. It helps us name what’s shifting, what’s asking to emerge, what’s being asked of us.

We don’t need to push through resistance.
We don’t need to shame ourselves into movement.
We just need to get curious about what’s happening underneath.

Next time you hit the wall, pause. Take a breath. Pull a card.
And ask:

What is the nature of my resistance?

You might be surprised at what part of you is afraid and what part of you is waking up.

Last Updated:
July 16, 2025