'Just realized that I’m sabotaging myself by resisting the very thing that will stop me from sabotaging myself!'

This was a message I got from one our students while he was "on mission."

Resistance is a tricky paradox.

It can serve as fuel for growth or it can pull you down to ruin.

Think about it.

In the context of strength training and Jiu-Jitsu... without pressure and resistance… there can be no growth/progress.

It's your gift to becoming stronger. In contrast, resistance can be a curse by keeping you stuck in your stories. In Chris' case he was resisting the very thing which would set him free, "Bucketing Work."

I see it time and time again.

People reply to my emails, message me, and even share with me on coaching calls, the goals they want to achieve.

But then resist the very work which needs to be done to attain the results they're chasing.

Or they say...

'I know what I should be doing, but...'

ok.

Then why aren't you doing it?

And the answer is simple.

There's a story you're telling yourself about why it's not going to work for you.

In short, you're trapped in a Toxic Cycle.

So what does this Paradox have to do with you?

If you're not seeing progress in your strength training and/or life as a whole. The results you're chasing (strength, fat loss, etc) are very likely on the other side of the work you're refusing to do.

The SOULution?

Do the opposite of what you're doing right now. My wife and I were just having this conversation on our morning walk.

We were talking about winning and losing in life.

When you fail to do what you said you would do, you break integrity with yourself.

When you break integrity with yourself, you break trust with yourself.

When you break trust with yourself, you lose in life.

And when you lose enough times guess what?

You become a loser.

So how do you break the cycle?

Take action on SOMETHING.

Just do the opposite of what you're doing now.

Eating like crap?

Don't eat like crap.

Haven't worked out in a while?

Go for a 30 minute walk.

Drinking alcohol?

Don't drink. etc.

It's that easy... and that difficult.

But if it wasn't difficult, if there wasn't resistance, there would be no growth. Life is supposed to be hard. That's what makes it great.

Appreciate you reading,

hec g.

P.S. - Speaking of resistance and progress. Here's another quick paradox I stubbled on the last 15 months.

"Remember where you came from."

"Remember your roots."

"Don't forget where you started."

Ever heard these?

I can't stand these clichés. Something about them rubs me the wrong way.

It's probably the fact that... I don’t like remembering where I came from.

I don’t like reminiscing on the past.

My childhood was filled with devalue, isolation, and getting my ass kicked from elementary to high school.

Which led to many stupid decisions.

One of which landed me in jail.

(A story for another day.)

So no, I prefer not to "remember where I came from" or "my roots."

You can’t move forward in life… when you're living through your review mirror.

Right?

... this the Paradox of Progress.

Sometimes you can’t move forward… unless you LOOK BACK every once and a while.

To see how far you’ve come.

To be grateful of how much better you are today than you were yesterday.

How much better off you are than your parents and even grandparents.

[+] "Gettin' after it!"

[+] "Pushing your limits."

[+] Chasing the next goal.

[+] Always pushing forward.

Without looking back from time to time... can leave you vulnerable to falling in the trap of the mundane.

Something to think about.