Resistance vs. Persistence

Resist or persist? That is the question of this week's Grasshopper Notes essay from John Morgan for the week Of March 31st.

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Transcript

Resistance vs. Persistence

If there were ever two complete opposites, these two would take the gold medal: Resistance and Persistence.

Let’s break it down with some quick definitions.

Resistance is all about opposition, hostility, aversion—basically, not wanting to accept something. Persistence, on the other hand, is all about resolve, perseverance, tenacity, determination—sticking with it no matter what.

Now, my favorite way to think about resistance is "unwilling to accept." But here’s the catch—it’s a false premise. You can’t actually not accept something. If something happens, it happened. You can say you don’t accept it, but that won’t change the reality.

With persistence, I like the word resolve. And here’s why: If you break it apart, it becomes “re-solve.” That means you already found a solution once—now you just need to do it again.

So, the real goal? Shift resistance into persistence.

But how?

First, recognize that resistance is just a short-term fix. It won’t hold. It reminds me of that old grade school story, A Leak in the Dike. You know, the one where a boy from Holland sees a small leak in a dike, and if it gets any bigger, the whole town is going under. So what does he do? He plugs the hole with his finger and holds on until help arrives.

Now, if he had just kept resisting—just sitting there, trying to hold the water back alone—he would've been swept away along with the rest of the town. But instead, he had the resolve to hang in there and call for help. He started with resistance, but persistence is what saved the day.

That’s the trick—once you realize resistance is temporary, you open yourself up to other options.

Ask yourself: What else is possible besides this endless tug-of-war with a gorilla?It reminds me of this little tradition my sons and I had. Every year, we’d go to the beach, wade out into the ocean about chest-deep, lock arms, and brace ourselves against an oncoming wave. And every single time, we’d get knocked back or completely wiped out. Then, we’d all stand up, laughing, and say: “Man versus ocean . . . ocean wins again.”

We resisted. And then we persisted—by playing in the surf and having fun with it.

Long-term resistance wears you down. It’ll drain you until you’re walking around with a permanent frown. But persistence? It opens up possibilities.

Keep looking for options. Not only will it save you a lot of stress—it might even save your smile.

All the best,
 John