I’ve often heard the adage, “what you resist
persists”, and perhaps you have, too. Ironically, sometimes I find
myself resisting this message, because I’ve heard it so many times that
it’s become a cliche to me. Obviously, I’m demonstrating how this
saying is persisting in my life because of my resistance to it!

However,
when I let go of my reaction to hearing this message, yet again, and
listen to what it’s trying to tell me, there’s usually something
valuable there. It often leads me to a more conscious awareness of the
mental and emotional patterns of resistance that are affecting my
business and other parts of my life at that moment.

Discover the untold secrets of manifesting!

Like any act
of creation, creating a business is not merely a physical, external
act. It’s also, largely, an internal process that engages the deepest
levels of your psyche. This is why the sixth step of inspired business
planning is so important: clearing inner resistance that comes up as
you make and implement your plan to build your wellness business.

Resistance and Your Business

“Whatever
we believe becomes true for us. Perhaps you’re not even aware of your
belief. Most people aren’t. They just see the outer circumstances as
the way the cookie crumbles. Until someone can show you the connection
between the outer experiences and the inner thoughts, you remain a
victim in life.”

– Louise Hay

If you look in the
dictionary, you’ll find numerous definitions for “resistance.” More
interesting are the synonyms you’ll find in a thesaurus that truly
capture the essence of the word: “fight, struggle, combat, defiance,
obstruction, impediment, hindrance.”

From a psychological and
emotional perspective, resistance is a belief, thought and accompanying
feeling that obstructs your natural state of well-being. This type of
resistance can be subtle, but can wreak havoc on your business.

For
example, you can have the most brilliant strategy to build your
business, but if you’re carrying fear-based, negative beliefs, thoughts
and feelings, you may sabotage the implementation of your strategy. You
may “under-commit” to your success, procrastinate on taking action,
take action ineffectively, play “small” or not value your services and
your time, amongst other things. Inner resistance may even prevent you
from creating a business plan in the first place.

Some of the more common, scarcity-based, limiting beliefs and resulting feelings that can impede your business’s progress are:

- believing you’re not “enough” – not good enough, smart enough, skilled enough, knowledgeable enough;

- believing you don’t deserve to be successful and receive an abundant income;

- believing it’s “unspiritual” for a healer like yourself to make an abundant income from your services and products;

- believing and/or fearing that you can’t make an abundant income as an entrepreneur with your own wellness business;

- believing it’s hard to attract clients;

- believing people won’t see the value of your services and products and, therefore, won’t willingly pay what you charge;

- believing people can’t afford to pay you and that there’s not enough money “out there” (general, lack-oriented beliefs);

- believing you have to work really, really hard, put in long hours and “suffer” for your income; and

-
feelings of fear, pessimism, frustration, impatience, disappointment,
doubt, worry, discouragement, insecurity, unworthiness and
powerlessness.

Lightening Your Load

“To offer no resistance to life is to be in a state of grace, ease, lightness.”

– Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now

The
good news is that once you know what resistant mental and emotional
patterns are affecting your business, you have the power to transform
them. You can uncover these patterns by paying attention to the way you
feel as you think about your business and take action; negative emotion
is always an indicator of resistance. If you tune into your inner
wisdom and follow a negative emotion to its source, chances are you’ll
find the limiting belief or thought behind it.

To do this may
require that you carve out some “quiet time” in your schedule to be
with yourself, your feelings and your thoughts. If you can do this
right in the moment when you’re experiencing a negative emotion, it’s
even better. Sit with your eyes closed and tune into the emotion,
allowing it to exist without resisting it. As you feel the emotion, ask
yourself, “what’s the thought that has triggered this feeling in me?”

Once
you’re aware of the feelings and beliefs that are affecting you and
your business, you can take steps to release and clear them. There are
many fantastic tools available to help you do this, including the
Sedona Method, Emotional Freedom Technique, Tapas Acupressure Technique
and ThetaHealing.

You were born with unlimited potential that you
can express in any area of your life, including your business.
Releasing the inner patterns that are holding you and your business
back will unleash this potential and allow you to experience more joy,
satisfaction and success. So start clearing and watch your business
soar!

Copyright 2008 Mary C. Davis