Resistance comes in many flavors. It can show up in obvious and subtle ways, and oftentimes you can’t even see that you are resisting something you really want. Intellectually, you may acknowledge a certain desire—for success, comfort, and pleasure, or for self-care, inner peace, and spiritual freedom. But it’s much harder to see what may be holding you back emotionally, thus disconnecting you from what you desire.
If you want to accomplish something for yourself, such as a creative endeavor, the recognition of a job well done, a successful business venture, or anything that would make you feel good about yourself, the thought of getting there keeps you motivated to move forward. At the same time, you experience fear and self-doubt or feel confused as to your next steps. You may procrastinate or get distracted, and you could also see all sorts of dramas and difficulties unfold in your life-movie.
It is all your own resistance. You can try to blame someone else or your circumstances for it. Your mind may give you a million reasons why you’re disconnecting from what you want rather than letting you recognize why you’re sabotaging your process. But if you’re completely honest with yourself, putting aside the self-images you’re trying to protect, you’ll realize that those are just excuses; that what you’re really afraid of is feeling empowered—one-with-yourself.
It is a scary proposition for the ego you’ve identified with that now controls your behavior. Why? Because the ego-mind is a bundle of thoughts and desires from past impressions and experiences. In other words, it is made of the past and lives in the past, so by its very nature it keeps you emotionally in the past as well.
True Freedom Is Freedom From Your Ego
In other words, it gets in the way of you being truly present, anchored in yourself, which is the only way to experience fulfillment and growth, since only the present is real. It is impossible to find satisfaction if you are not fully engaged with what you’re doing. But if you are completely present, no matter how trivial your endeavor may be, you connect to the flow of life itself.
It doesn’t matter if what you go through is pleasant or unpleasant; what makes a difference is whether you accept it or you resist it; whether you embrace the experience fully, you go though it half-heartedly, or you give up in the process, leaving it unfinished. Only a real engagement allows you to see the value of your experience; it provides you with greater clarity about what you like and dislike, what brings you joy or pain, and what connects or disconnects you from yourself; in turn, this allows you to make more conscious choices to remain connected to your life as it unfolds. Less resistance means less suffering.
The ego-mind creates the illusion of a world that appears to be separate from you, along with the fear and pain this delusion produces, to provide individualized experiences. To achieve this, it pinches you out of the totality of your existence—your true Self—which results in a sense of deficiency and isolation that triggers fear and guilt, as well as the need for external validation. These become unconscious resistance whenever you want to express yourself freely.
If you understand that it arises from the very nature of your ego, that is, who you believe yourself to be, then it is easier to dismiss this false perception. You don’t need external validation to find fulfillment; you just need to uncover the outdated ideas about yourself that keep you trapped in the past and cause suffering.
I explore all this in great detail, as I guide you through an empowering process of self-discovery, in You Are Your Healer: The Ultimate Guide to Heal Your Past, Transform Your Life & Awaken to Your True Self. I encourage you to grab your copy today to master the ego-mind that prevents you from gaining emotional and spiritual freedom as the unique expression of Divine Consciousness you really are!
© 2022 Yol Swan. All rights reserved.
