Simple does not mean easy.

Simple does not mean lacking.

Simple does not mean plain.

Simple can free you.

“If Resistance couldn’t be beaten, there would be no Fifth Symphony, no Romeo and Juliet, no Golden Gate Bridge.  Defeating Resistance is like giving birth.  It seems absolutely impossilbe until you remember that women have been pulling it off successfully, with support and without, for fifty million years.”

Stephen Pressfield in The War of Art

Trudging through a massive resistance phase?  “Resistant to what?” is the ultimate question.  The answer? Whatever lies on the other side of fear.  Fear of failure, fear of being alone, fear of success, fear of getting, doing, being, having it all.  Fear of disappointment.  Fear of change.  Tired of wallowing in the still waters of resistance, decide to stop fighting it and lean into it.

If it did not matter, there would be no resistance. Whatever lies behind the resistance is whatever is next.  Embrace it. Move through it. Follow it.  Get to the other side.  The only other option is indifference.

The other day I was listening to a friend complain about her life.  “Why me?” she kept saying.  Over and over and over.  In regards to her career, “I get so close and then it falls apart.”  In regards to her kids, “Why couldn’t I have the easy kids?”   In regards to her husband and friends and finances and car and on and on, “Why me!?!”

After listening and recognizing much of my own life in her rant, I had a moment of truth, “Why not you?”  The silence was deafening.  I was quiet because I was reflecting on my own life and why shouldn’t my life be the way it is?  She was quiet, I believe, because she was trying hard not to bite my head off.  I can hear her now with someone new, “I was talking to a friend who was sooo unsupportive.  Why me?”

What she may never realize is that I was being truly supportive, opening up a conversation that she may not be able to have with anyone else.  A two-way conversation about the reality of today.  Her reality.  My reality.  Why not you?  Why not me?

This question also pertains to all the good in life.  Like the random day last week when I came home from my early morning trail run and my son had made me chocolate dipped strawberries, a bowl of Cheerios, and my favorite tea.   All because he thinks I am the best mom in the world.  Why not me?

When life does not seem to be going your way, perhaps it’s best to change your perspective as opposed to your direction.

Yesterday was the deadline for the costco.com coupons.  I was going to buy an anti-virus software for my kids’ computers that was advertised at $19.99, $35 off!  The ad had been sitting on my computer for nearly two weeks.  Why I wait until the last minute, I don’t know.  It’s the 11^th hour syndrome.  If the 11^th hour did not exist, nothing woauld get done.  So, in the 11^th hour, just before going to bed, I realize I need to buy this thing or I will miss out.  So I log on, put the item in my cart (it still says, “19.99 after $35 off”) and buy it.  Except my receipt says, “54.99.”  Why?  Because it is already the next day on the east coast.  So now I have to send an email to customer service and make a mental note to call Costco.com in the morning.  Which I haven’t done yet, but I will.  I haven’t done it because the following quote from Seth Godin’s blog was in my inbox.  Seriously.  Like he was talking just to me.

“Deadlines make people do dumb things. … Never mind that they had two weeks… the last fifteen minutes are all they are concerned with.  If it’s important enough to spend an hour complaining about, it’s certainly important enough to spend four minutes to just do it in the first place.”

Thanks, Seth.  I will remember your words, “If it’s important enough to spend an hour complaining about, it’s certainly important enough to spend four minutes to just do it in the first place,” next time I set something aside because there is “plenty of time” before the deadline.  To read Seth’s blog, visit sethgodin.com.

The other evening I was relaxing, reading a book.  I could not see my son, Kamden, in the other room, but I could hear him banging and jumping about.  “Huuuummmmmph!” I heard him say over and over again each time followed by a very loud THUD!

I shook my head and rolled my eyes.  I did not want to even imagine what he might be up to.  And at this point, I thought to myself, he is old enough to know better.  If he gets hurt, that will be the last time he does whatever he is doing.  Cynical parenting at it’s finest.

“HHHHUuuuuuuuummmmmppppphhhhhhh!”  THUD!

‘Huuuuuummmmmmppphphpphphphhphphphp!” THUD!

“HHHHuuuuuuummmmmmpphphphphp!! THUD!

Over and over.  Just at the moment when I did not think I could possibly ignore it for one more nano second, the THUD! was followed with a very triumphant, “Conquered!”

“What?” I called, still not wanting to move from my cynical relaxed spot.

“I conquered it!” Kamden called out victoriously.

Laughing to myself, I had to get up and see what it was he had conquered.

I entered the kitchen and there was no mess.  Nothing out of order.  I looked at him quizzically.  He stood smiling, so very proud of himself.  “Let me see what you conquered,” I asked.

With that he backed up, took in a deep breath, launched into two big steps and lept up toward the ceiling.  Which he touched.  “There.  I did it again.  I conquered it.”

Taking his head in my hands, I looked deep into his chocolatey brown eyes.  “Yes, you did.”   Trying over and over.  Setting a goal and not giving up until he achieved it.  Whether it be snapping, jumping to touch a ceiling, multiplication facts, or a 6 minute mile, kids just keep pressing on, jumping up, over and over and over again until it is conquered.  Then they move on to the next.  Now that is inspirational.