Hey there , I have a question for you . What would be different if you voluntarily stopped resisting things in your life ? I'm curious . Think of something right now that you might be resisting . What would be different if you voluntarily just stopped resisting , dropped the rope , as it were , if you simply just let it go ? What would be different ? I'm going to read something that I wrote a while back and now appears in my book , the Places when there Are Spaces . That talks a little bit about this . It's chapter 45 , and it's called the Magic of Letting Go .
Speaker 1When I was a kid , I used to stand in the doorway of my bedroom and press my arms as hard as I could against the doorframe for 30 seconds and then step away to feel my arms magically rise up . How wondrous it was to feel that involuntary lightness . I never much cared to wonder why it happened , but was completely delighted every time that it did . Years later , when I was teaching dance in New York City , I discovered that a similar principle could be applied to increasing flexibility . So one dancer would stand against the wall while the other helped them raise their leg up , and when the dancer with the leg in the air had stretched as far as they could go with the help of their partner . They were instructed to press down as hard as they could against their partner's hold to create resistance . The interesting part was that when they stopped resisting and let go , their flexibility increased . They were able to stretch even further than they had before . So today , through my lens as a coach , I can't help but wonder if this principle can be applied to the way we approach our lives .
Speaker 1What things in life are we resisting that might be opportunities for growth if we consciously choose to let them go . Think about it . What would be different if we voluntarily stopped resisting things in our lives ? Resist means to fight against or oppose , to refuse to accept or be changed , or to stop oneself from doing something that one wants to do . Do you know how much energy that requires ? Each of these definitions imply that there is something undesirable on the other side , an adversarial person , thought or thing that you are using all your might to keep out , not to mention exhausting yourself in the process . But what if you reframed resistance as a tool that increases your flexibility , when used consciously , as my students did all those years ago in my dance class ? What if resistance was an indicator of a place to grow to stretch , as opposed to a primitive defense mechanism that operates on fear .
Speaker 1If you're a Star Trek fan , you'll recall the mantra of the enemy Borg resistance is futile . But resistance is not futile at all If we draw awareness around where in our lives we are resisting . We can also shine light on how we can use resistance to stretch the limits of what's possible . Well , to increase our edge . We do this not by continuing to resist , but by letting go . Not because you can't resist any longer , but because it serves your growth . So once again , here's the prompt that appears at the end of the chapter what would be different if you voluntarily stopped resisting things in your life ? I'm Lisa Hopkins . Thanks so much for listening . Stay safe and healthy , everyone , and remember to live in the moment .