No, I’m not talking about a newfangled work-out at the gym that is all the rage right now. However, it is a mental work out of sorts. Non-resistance in this instance speaks to a new mindset. It will make us much bigger men and women than other dumbbell or elliptical machine could.
Think about it: from the time we are very young we learn the art of resistance. We resist the word “no”, we resist nap time, we resist authority, we resist the comfort of home for a school day, etc. This carries over into adulthood. We resist looming lay-offs at work, hierarchical changes, a new gym routine from our trainers, a new website design we perceive as a nuisance rather than a help, and even the change in season from Fall to Winter. My friends back in NY will understand the last example. We spend a lot of time in life resisting. Why? Because a change means discomfort in our lives. It means having to make alterations or even start over in some cases.
So what? I’ve begun my non-resistance training. I’m going to start letting the cards fall where they may without me meddling somewhere in the middle. It will be interesting to see where I end up. A couple of outcomes are possible. The first: a beautiful situation that I might not have known had I resisted. The other: a not so stellar situation. No one said the end result would always be pretty. Sometimes the end result will occur with or without our resistance. Although it may seem less than desirable at first, there is a reason. I would surmise that 7 out of 10 times in not resisting, the outcome will be better than you imagined.
I’m not condoning complete non-resistance. We have a duty to protect ourselves from physical and mental harm. We also have a civic duty to resist anything that impedes upon our constitutional rights. I’m referring the other things in life that clutter our mind and keep us from being at our best. Non-resistance training is not for the weak and it won’t bring about instant results. The mental muscle will take time grow. But in sticking with this routine, I promise a better you and a better me! That I can’t resist!
