When Stuff Happens… Ship Anyway !

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Have you ever had a morning where it seemed everything that could go wrong, went wrong? I think we all encounter this from time to time.

Today, I woke up earlier than normal and with a fierce action plan. I knew it would be a busy day for me so I wanted to get a head start.

I spent a few minutes meditating, then got up, threw on my sweats and a tshirt, started a pot of coffee, and headed outside to water my flowers and vegetables. It was only minutes before the ideas started to flow. (This happens often when I’m spending time in my garden.)

By the time I sat down at my desk, today’s action plan was a bit longer and I was anxious to get started.

That’s when my world turned upside down – or so I thought. I shook my computer mouse and saw a message about malware. (Oh my… not again and definitely NOT my new computer, I thought.)

I decided to run a full scan to search for the malware before I started freaking out. But as you know, a scan can take forever to complete.

I didn’t want to waste any precious time while I waited, so I poured a cup of coffee, grabbed my copy of Linchpin by Seth Godin (affiliate link), and picked up where I left off yesterday.

Little did I know, I was only a couple of pages away from a chapter that would change the way I look at many things – The Resistance.

As I continued to read, much of what I’ve been dealing with in recent months started to make sense.

According to Seth,

The lizard brain is the reason you’re afraid, the reason you don’t do all the art you can, the reason you don’t ship when you can. The lizard brain is the source of the resistance…

Your mind, the thing that drives you crazy and makes you special, has two distinct sections, the daemon and the resistance.

The daemon is the source of great ideas, groundbreaking insights, generosity, love, connection and kindness.

The resistance lives inside the lizard brain.

This is getting very interesting, huh? I know. A light bulb went off when I read this passage…

“Your lizard brain, the part that the daemon has no control over… will invent stories, illnesses, emergencies, and distractions in order to keep the genius bottled up. The resistance is afraid. Afraid of what will happen to you (and to it) if the ideas get out, if your gifts are received, if the magic happens.”

That’s when I realized… the computer issues are simply a distraction… a fake emergency. And as I give it more thought, I can recall previous encounters with the resistance…. like my computer crash two months ago and the other crash a year ago… and the fear… and the excuses… and the information overload… I could go on and on but I won’t.

To make a long story short, no additional malware was found on my computer (yay!), but now it’s not connecting to the Internet (bummer).

This isn’t a pity party. Instead, it’s encouragement for those of you that encounter resistance in your business and personal lives.

My advice to you.

When you’re dealing with days like this, take a moment to express gratitude for at least 10 things/people/places in your life and move forward. I’ll go first…

I’m grateful:

I birthed 2 awesome kids.
I have a wonderful husband that can still make my heart skip a beat.
I get to experience love each and every day.
I have not 1 but 2 backup computers that are connecting just fine.
for great clients and a thriving business.
I have the freedom to work from home with my kids in the next room.
my computer guy does house calls.
for my computer problems (Yep! Because without them, I would not be writing this post.)
for Seth’s book.
I have all of the power I need to move past the resistance.
I’m me. Because let’s face it, I’m pretty darn awesome!