Have you ever tried to resist something? If you have, chances are you lost! Here is why resistance is futile.
‘We are the Borg. Lower your shields and surrender your ships. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to serve us. Resistance is futile.’ As said by the Borg in Star Trek!
If you aren’t a Star Trek fan, you may be more familiar with the words of Carl Jung who said;
What we resist persists
This is such an important point to understand as it plays out in every area of our lives, and indeed, impacts our results. When we feel pain, emotional or otherwise we want to resist it, yet the very act of resisting means it will persist. The resistance we create within ourselves, between our conflicting thoughts of what we crave and what we know is good for us, can be huge assassinators of our success, happiness and fulfilment, and ultimately, health. It seems the Borg knew this by their phrase, “resistance is futile”.
Why resistance is futile
The word ” persist” means “to continue something in spite of opposition”. We require a degree of persistence in our lives to achieve the success we desire. However, persisting in things that we resist, especially in our minds, becomes a double-edged sword. Moreover, it takes on a different meaning.
Consider for a moment your life and habits. How often do you berate yourself or fight with yourself to resist the temptation to eat the chocolate bar? What about scrolling through social media or anything other seemingly pleasurable things?
Your level of resistance will determine your results. I personally had to learn the lesson – resistance is futile,- the hard way. I didn’t really understand it until I suffered the consequences. The more I resisted and battled my problem, overthinking it, feeling the turmoil, the more I was locking in these negative feelings. I was giving them more power. The ‘Borg’ was winning so to speak.
One day, as a result of an overland of toxic thoughts and feelings, my body literally broke down and it was only at a crisis point I had to stop to seek alternative solutions. During my research and through seeking help I understood the power of energy and how my negative thinking was actually locking in the problem and making it worse. The flip side of this is, it was this event that triggered an amazing journey that bought me to what I do today!
Why resistance is futile when it comes to what you are focusing on
A great illustration of this concept, ‘what we resist persists’, is when you decide to start a diet, give up drinking, or give up smoking. For some reason, you start obsessing over the very thing you want to get rid of. You hear that persistence voice, and yes it does belong to you, that says it wants another piece of chocolate cake, and that other voice saying no I shouldn’t. Then begins an inner battle with the ‘for’s’ and ‘against’s’, and before you know it, you are at war with yourself, having your own Star Trek internal battle. We persist the thing we know we shouldn’t have but secretly want. There is a great expression:
You can’t think about what you don’t want to think about without thinking about it
I will say that one again. You can’t think about what you don’t want without thinking about it. Think about that one for a minute.
Huna philosophy states ‘Energy flows where attention goes’, and the Law of Attraction states that ‘like attracts like’.
How to beat the ‘Borg’ and let go of resistance
When you become aware of what you are resisting, by becoming aware and observing your inner voices and feelings, simply stop for a moment. Take a moment to reflect on what you are resisting and be aware everything has an equal and opposite force, just as in Star Trek.
Then, simply acknowledge it, laugh at it if you can, and gently take your focus off this issue. Ask yourself what is the opposite of this? If you are obsessing over chocolate cake ask yourself what you would like instead. Switch. Perhaps it is to eat a healthy apple. If you are angry about something, simply ask yourself how you would prefer to feel.
The key points here are;
- Acknowledge the thing you are resisting. Awareness is critical
- Take your focus away and ask yourself what you want instead of the thing you are resisting, i.e., the benefits of not having/doing it.
- State in clear words exactly what you want and keep focused on the thing you want
- I guarantee this is a far better way than arguing with yourself, your inner critic or inner ‘Borg’ and will eventually release the power of the thing that you have been trying to resist.
- By focusing on something else, you shift your awareness and energy, and the thing you were resisting, ceases to persist at such an intensity. If you do this consistently, you will feel lighter, happier and healthier. All of this will positively impact the results in your life and you can truly understand why resistance is futile.
Acknowledge the thing you are resisting, let it go and focus on what you want and the benefits of having it.
To finish in the words of Rumi:-
The moment you accept what troubles you’ve been given, The Door will Open.
Simple. Whether you prefer the Borg analogy or the wise words of Rumi, they both hold true. Everything in life is energy and you cannot fight the immense force of the unseen. You must be aware and let it go. Focus on what you want instead, consistently. This is your antidote to success and the key to why resistance is futile.
About the Author
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