Resistance Is Fear Dressed in Pajamas

I've been reflecting on the changes I've been making lately and what has prompted them. If you've been following along with me lately, you'll have an idea that there has been a lot of change in my midst. 1) Having a baby 2) house updates 3) a job change and as of last week a real nudge to 4) make more time for myself and the things I want to see achieved each day.

I see that these choices were prompted thanks to dissatisfaction or discomfort. 

We decided to have a baby even though COVID, the world climate and general cost of living is tough because we saw our family as a unit of 4 and I'm no spring chicken. It was a "let's do this now (regardless of everything else), because we won't do it otherwise." 

We decided to pull the trigger on having our house receive major updates because we see this house as a place we will hold onto, one that can grow and change with our families needs. And truth be told - we couldn't afford this house if we were looking on the market today (which is a mixed blessing!). But the work we've invested in getting it sound and continue to invest really stings from a financial and time perspective... Who wants contractors around their house with a newborn? No one. That is, unless you have too.  

My 9 - 5 role had quite a few changes occur within the department right before my maternity leave and changes continued to occur while I was on my leave so that when a new position within the same company that I work for popped up, it felt like a good move to start fresh versus the ambiguity of navigating the new waters of my old role (same same, but different sort of scenario - ya know?).

AND the latest - the pounds that are really enjoying sticking around. Ugh. I put them there, it's now time to move them along. If only it was as easy as putting them in a bag and dropping them off at Goodwill! 

What I want to illustrate is that when we're feeling caged (like we've outgrown some aspect of ourselves) this discomfort, this dissatisfaction is not a sign of ungratefulness or even unhappiness - it's a sign that it's time evolve. It's time to grow. It's a sign that to get further down your path, you may have to do some hard things to get there. Things present you is resisting. 

Laura Belgray of Talking Shrimp recently said on a podcast that "resistance is fear dressed in pajamas." 

Clearly I loved her turn of phrase, but when we think about the things that we are resisting - I now pose the question, "what is the fear here?" And there were fears circling all the changes that I listed above; 

1) Am I going to have the ability to keep my child/children safe in this turbulent time in our world?
2) Am I going to be able to manage the financial swing to do what needs to be done to my house?
3) Am I going to succeed in a role that is entirely new to me? 
4) Am I disciplined enough to not accept the status quo of my health? 

The only way I could find out is if I tried. I decided to not let my dissatisfaction grow, but to let my ability to rise to the challenge grow. 

And I tend to wrap up these little love notes with a lesson - Where are you feeling resistance? What fears are surrounding this resistance? If you were to support yourself through this discomfort to see what was on the other side, what would that look like? 

I hope you let Laura Belgray's quote roll around in the back of your head - it might just nudge a good change along for you too.