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You almost blamed the wrong thing

If the check-engine light came on in your car, would you yell at the car to try harder?

Probably not.

You would not turn on a motivational podcast, press harder on the gas, and tell the car it must not want the destination badly enough.

That would be ridiculous. Yet I have basically done this to myself.

Something feels harder than expected, and instead of asking what changed, I assume I need more discipline. Wake up earlier. Find a better system.

Try the same plan again, but this time with more guilt. You can probably guess how well that works. The goal may not be the problem. Resistance is often treated like a stop sign.

Maybe this is not meant for me…I waited too long…I should give up and focus on something else.

But resistance can also be a dashboard light. It may be telling you that something needs attention before you continue.

Here is the unexpected part: The goal may still be right. The plan may simply be wrong for the road you are on now. You may have created it before your schedule changed, your energy dropped, another responsibility appeared, or the project became more complicated than expected. The destination can still matter even when the original route no longer works.

Three lights worth checking

If you keep resisting the same task, one of these signals may be blinking:

The next step is fuzzy. "Work on my business" sounds important, but your brain cannot begin it. "Write the first paragraph of the sales page" gives it somewhere to go.

A decision is blocking the road. You may not be avoiding the work. You may be avoiding the choice that must happen before the work can begin.

Your capacity has changed. The plan expected a full-capacity week, and this isn't a full-capacity week.

Try changing the mode

Before you abandon the goal or force the old plan, finish this sentence:

This would feel easier to begin if…

Maybe the answer is:

I knew the first step. I made one decision. I asked for help. I gave myself another week. I completed a smaller version.

Sometimes the answer is to keep going; other times, you need to slow down.

It is possible that the goal stays exactly where it is, but you shift into a lighter mode for a while.

That is not quitting. It is learning how to keep moving when the road changes.

I wrote more about three reasons resistance appears and the questions you can ask before pushing harder:

​Read: Why You Resist Doing What You Need to Do During Busy Seasons​

If one task has been blinking at you all week, start there.

Reply and tell me which light is blinking for you this week.

Find Your Route Forward

On Saturday, September 26 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Central, I'm hosting a live virtual workshop built around seven questions to help you identify what is slowing your business momentum and decide what matters next.

The workshop is only $5 as part of my five-year business celebration, and the replay is included.

​Save Your Spot for the Workshop​

You may not need a new destination. You may just need a better route for the week you are actually having.

Terrie

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