Yes, I definitely agree with your blog. Your ideas definitely is a very positive way of looking at problems, fears, and resistances in our lives. For me it's more like I did not know how valuable resistance in my life was when I was going through it, but afterwards, I was able to find value in it.

I live in fear, a different type of fear that you talk about, but I think that if I were to dig, I would very much see what you write about. I especially enjoyed "How fear can point to your life purpose." I need to digest this entry a bit more, but I think it will be very helpful.

This makes a very compelling point. We don't often associate fear with love, but it is often there. Thanks for the great article.

This is a really fascinating subject! This really brings up so many great points in my own mind. I find there is much truth to,"Resistance is a signal of where to dig". Thanks for bringing the Art of Provocation, to our attention. I look forward to reading more about this!

What a great idea. I've always seen resistance as a bad thing; I've never thought to look at it this way. Thanks.

You've sure given us something to think about. Do you have any examples of how resistance can point people in the right direction? I'd be interested to hear stories of people who have used this to discover their purpose.

Beth,
Thanks for the question and request for examples. Resistance, of course, comes in many "flavors" so it will show up differently for each person. For some it might be a disconnect between what you say and what you do. A client of mine had a stated goal to buy a house. She would talk about this frequently but never act on it. In fact, when she started moving toward this goal, she would schedule a vacation or take a weekend trip. Surprised by this discord, we explored the relationship between travel and settling down. Turns out she had a fear that buying a house would tie her down and prevent her from being able to pick up and go when felt like it. The importance of her travel/exploration passion came into focus for her then, and she began to look for a career that offered more of that.

Another signal is complete blindness to what others see in you and your behavior. For example, a friend of mine was once completely unaware that his ability to have conversations with anyone about anything was a unique strength. It was as natural as breathing for him so he assumed that everyone found it just as easy. When he explored that strength further, he realized he was ignoring, even avoiding, using this gift because it didn't feel "like work." (Sometimes we discount these natural gifts because they don't seem difficult enough to be part of our calling.) As a result he shifted his career into sales. Not surprisingly he was fabulously good at it, had fun and made a real impact on his company and clients.

These are just a couple examples that show why it can be helpful to have a sounding board -- coach, counselor, friend -- who can help you see what you might be too close to see.

Finally, I noticed that the Oprah show is offering a no-charge online workshop with Marcus Buckingham (author of Now, Discover Your Strengths)which -- although not about looking at resistance to uncover purpose, per se -- will help folks explore and use their strengths in career and life.
(http://www.oprah.com/workshop)

Hope this provides some useful fodder!

Laura

I have to say that I disagree somewhat with this blog. Resistance can be a self-protective mechanism to prevent harm to oneself or others. When you resist an idea, that can be just an honest reaction to something one does not like or has no interest in embracing. Maybe I missed something here, but this is what I gathered.

i can say that resistance will not work, but then again it depends on the situation. you can use all the same tactics in the same manner with different people.