The Path of Least Resistance

[Spiritual Warrior]

The Path of Least Resistance by Robert Fritz

Book notes

Introduction:

“One of the fundamental principles is that there is a direct connection between what occurs in your consciousness and what occurs in your external life, and that if you initiate change internally a corresponding change will happen externally.”

“Energy always moves along the path of least resistance, and that any change you attempt to make in your life will not work if the path of least resistance does not lead in that direction.”

[Spiritual Warrior]

PART ONE: Fundamental Principles

Chapter One: Forming the Path:

A path is formed based upon the structure that is in place. 

Moving along the path:

“Once a structure exists, energy moves through that structure by the path of least resistance. In other words, energy moves where it is easiest for it to go.”

“How you got to where you are in your life right now was by moving along the path of least resistance.”

Three insights:

You are like a river. You go through life taking the path of least resistance

The underlying structure determines the path of least resistance

We can change fundamental underlying structures of our lives.

 Change the structure, change the path of least resistance, change your life. 

An example of a structure is a house, it is a completed unit, with walls, windows, stairs, ceilings, and floors. 

 

Overcoming Resistance:

“When you attempt to overcome resistance in your life, you merely reinforce the underlying structure in play. By focusing on the resistance, you empower the resistance, making it more important than the result you want.” 

In other words, it is not beneficial to fight the resistance. Instead, take a step back and calibrate the structure so that the resistance is no longer there or just does not need to be taken seriously.
 

What is structure?

The structure of anything refers to its fundamental parts and how those individual elements function in relationship to each other  and in relation to the whole (sounds a lot like a system)

Lets take the human body as an example: The body is the structure, it is made up of the heart, brain, lungs, blood cells, nerves, muscles, bones, etc. The elements of the body all function in relation to each other and in relation to the whole (the body)

Thinking isolates events, understanding interconnects them. Understanding is structure. 

When parts of a structure interact, they set up tendencies, inclinations towards movement. All structures contain movement, or the tendency to turn from one state into another state. But some structures tend to move, where as other structures stay stationary. 

Structures that stay stationary consists of elements that hold each other in check

What determines the tendency to move? … The underlying structure. Structure determines behavior. The way anything is structured determines the behavior within that structure. 

There are structures in your life that determine the path of least resistance. The structures that have the most influence on your life are composed of desires, beliefs, assumptions, aspirations, and objective reality itself. 

 

In this book, we are not studying human behavior, we are studying the behavior of structures. 

People often believe that if they change their behaviors, they can change the structures in their lives. In fact, just the opposite is true. Change the structure, and the behaviors will follow. 

Some structures lead to oscillation and some structures lead to final destination. A pendulum is structured to oscillate, a rocket is structured to lead to a final destination. 

A life of oscillation: the structures in some people’s lives lead to oscillation which is an experience of ones life moving forward, and then backward, and then forward, and then backward again, and so on endlessly. 

 

Structure and the creative process:

We are wired to think of situations that are inadequate to our aspirations as problems. When we think of them as problems, we try to solve them. When you are solving a problem, you are taking action to have something go away; the problem.

When you are creating, you are taking action to have something come into being; the creation. Notice that the intention of these actions are opposites. 

When you think structurally, you ask better and more useful questions. Rather than asking “how do I get this unwanted situation to go away?” you might ask “What structures should I adopt to create the results that I want to create?” 

The creative process uses a structure that does not oscillate, but moves toward final resolution so that the creator brings into being the results he or she wants. 

This is not a book about how to solve your problems, but about how to create what you want to create. 

[Spiritual Warrior]

Chapter Two: The Reactive- Responsive Orientation

As kids, we are told what is right and wrong. Sometimes we got scolded and sometimes we got praised. Our parents are very impressive, they can drive a car, go to work, can lift heavy things, they seem to have everything figured out, so we believe them and do as we’re told. 

Much of what we learn as children is about what we cannot or should not do. They were based on avoidance. 

Most people believe circumstances are the driving force in their lives. 

The reactive-responsive orientation is when a person takes action based on the circumstances that he/she finds himself or might find himself in the future. 

Schooling usually integrates children with this reactive-responsive orientation, for example, I child is encouraged to fit in and stay out of trouble. This is an example of a reactive-responsive orientation. 

 

Creating and responding are completely different

The reactive orientation is when a person rebelliously oppose what is taught at home or in school. If you are in the reactive orientation, you also believe that circumstances are the driving force in life. But you believe circumstances are not necessarily how society portrays them. This can take the form of cynicism, nihilism, or you may have a chip on your shoulder, you’re suspicious of others, or may have a short fuse. 

A good exercise to see how reactive you are: Do you react against circumstances chronically? Are many of your actions designed to combat negative circumstances? Do you see yourself in a life situation in which you must overcome the forces in play, often simply to survive? 

 

Powerlessness:

The reactive-responsive orientation frames in your mind the fact that you are powerless. You are a slave to the circumstances at large and therefore have no control over them or your own destiny. The power lies outside of you, not inside of you. 

Some people have achieved success out of fear of failure, this is still acting out of the reactive-responsive orientation and therefore out of powerlessness. 

In the reactive-responsive orientation, people will treat internal circumstances exactly as if they are external circumstances that they have no control over. Here are some examples of this: “I had so much anger, I had to leave the room”, “My fear got in the way during my job interview”, “My relationship with my father was incomplete so I can’t even have a good relationship with a man,” “My mind gets in the way when I’m trying to be spontaneous,” “My ego gets me into trouble,” “I need to overcome my sinful nature,” or “My stomach rebels against spicy food.” 

In the reactive-responsive orientation, you are not taking ownership of how you react to things, you are blaming external circumstances for what is going on in your life. This is immature and also doesn’t do you any good. Take the power back. 

In the reactive-responsive orientation, it always feels like circumstances are more powerful than you are. Even if you master navigating the external circumstances in your life, it is still the external circumstances that are running the show. 

In reactive-responsive orientation, you tend to live your life by avoiding what is going to be uncomfortable instead of moving towards what you want to create. 

 

The pre-emptive strike:

Very common within the reactive-responsive orientation is a strategy designed to prevent unwanted circumstances to happen in the first place. Here are some examples: Developing an assertive personality to avoid being manipulated by others, at meetings some people publicly criticize themselves as a pre-emptive strike to prevent being criticized by anyone else, some act insecure and irresponsible to prevent having demands placed upon them, some people act arrogant and unfriendly to prevent closeness and intimacy, some get upset easily to prevent being confronted by anyone, some put themselves in situations in which they appear to be victimized to prevent being taken advantage of, some people dedicate their time and energy to selfish deeds to avoid considering their real doubts of self-worth. 

Living in the reactive-responsive orientation is the best strategy towards living a mediocre, lame-ass life. If you want a lame ass life, adopt every strategy that has been mentioned in this chapter. 

If you are in a reactive mode, the path of least resistance is to shift towards the responsive, if you are in a responsive mode, the path of least resistance is to shift back towards the reactive. This is a closed loop, there is no way to break this habit without restructuring the entire system. AS LONG as you try to make changes from within the reactive-responsive orientation, you will remain within that orientation, as a result it will not work and you will be reinforcing the reactive-responsive orientation. 

[Spiritual Warrior]

Chapter 3: Creating is No Problem, Problem Solving is Not Creating

There is a big difference between problem solving and creating. Problem solving is taking action to have something go away; the problem. Creating is having something come into being; the creation. 

What you have after solving a problem is the absence of the problem itself, but what you don’t have is the creation of the result that you want. 

This mindset also ties into the law of attraction, you do not want to think about the problems that you have or the things that you want to steer away from, you want to think about the amazing life or things that you are going to create. Focus on creating something that you want, as opposed to the elimination of unwanted things.

Why do we hear from political figures all about how they can solve all of our problems, instead they should be talking about a society that they are going to help build. The best leaders have been builders, creators, such as Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt. They didnt simply try to bring relief to their constituents, they were able to build a foundation for a future that they wanted. 

Problem solving leads to temporary relief from a problem, but it seldom leads to final success. 

 

Many people see life as a set of problems to solve: An unhappy love relationship, a bad job, a chronic health problem, financial difficulties, a stressful family life, corporate politics, competition from abroad. May of peoples lives are inexplicably tied to their problems. A majority of their actions are taken so that they can be problem- free. What drives the action is the intensity of the problem. Once the intensity is lessened, people have less motivation to act. Thus, problem solving as a way of life becomes self-defeating. 

An example of a creative type of problem-solving technique is brainstorming. Brainstorming is when you attempt to blitzcreek through your pre conceived mindset by fanciful free association, or by generating alternative solutions by overcoming your usual manner of thinking. Much of the focus in this type of approach is in freeing your mind, 

People have a wealth of creativity within them, but when a person is filled with limiting beliefs and rigid ways of thinking, these create blocks within them, plugging up every hold of creativity that one has. The idea is to move these blocks out of the way so that creativity can prosper. 

 

The inventiveness of the creative process does not come from creating alternative, but comes from generating a path from the original concept of what you want to the final creation of it in reality. 

A free mind is different than a focused mind. A free mind is like looking into the water at the fish without knowing how to catch the fish or whether or not you want to catch the fish. A focused mind has a desired result and is focused on creating it. 

An example of a creative-orientation is one that is self-sufficient. For example, in Uganda, there is an organization that trains the people of Uganda to be able to create the life that they want.

[Spiritual Warrior]

Chapter 4: Creating

It doesn't matter where you come from or what environment you are in, anyone is able to tap into their creative genius. 

As you begin to think about what you want to create in your life, know that your current circumstances should have nothing to do with what you would like to create. You are not limited by them. 

Creativity should not be limited to while you're at work. You  can tap into your creative while you're cooking, while your meal prepping, while you’re working out, while you’re cleaning, while you’re hitting on women, while you’re talking, while you’re cracking jokes, while you’re bonding with family. There are no limitations to when you can use your creative juices. 

 

The steps to the creative process;

1. Conceive of the results that you would like to create - a painter will conceive of what the final painting will look like before he picks up the brush. Do not wing it. “I dont start until I am almost entirely clear.” Knowing what you want is a skill in itself.

2. Know what currently exists - If you were creating a painting, you have to look at what the canvas currently looks like. There is a notion that you cannot look at reality objectively. You want to develop the skill of viewing reality objectively. Develop a capacity for truth. 

3. Take action - Once you know what you want and what you currently have, the next step is to take action. Inventing is a skill that can develop. When you take an action designed to bring your creation into being, your action could either work or not work. If the action works, you should continue taking it or if it doesnt work you can discontinue taking it. All of the actions, the ones that work and the ones that do not work help to create the final result. Creating itself is a learning process, learning what works and what does not work. The more you create, the more experience you have in developing your own instincts into what will work and what wont work. The art of creating is about your ability to adjust and create what you have so far. 

4. Learn the rhythms of the creative process: There are 3 distinct phases of the creative process, : 1. Germination 2. Assimilation 3. Completion. Each phase has its own energy and class of actions. Germination starts with excitement and newness, coming from the unusualness of the new action. Assimilation - the initial thrill is gone, this phase moves from an internal action to a focus on external action. In this phase, you live with what you want to create and internalize it. It becomes part of you. Because of this, you are able to generate energy to use in your experiments in learning. The super excited energy of germination is over, but this new more quiet energy is what helps you form the result that you want. Completion is the stage that has a similar energy to assimilation but now it is applied to a creation that is more and more tangible. In this phase, you use the energy to not only to bring to completion the result that you are trying to create, but also to position yourself for the next creation, leading to the germination of your next creation. 

5. Creating momentum - For professional creators, they have an ever increasing momentum to their creativity. Not only is the creative process a reliable method to produce the results that you want, it also contains seeds of its own development. The more you create, the better you become at creating the results that you want, the momentum snowballs into more and more creations. 

[Princess Arabia]

Nice thread.

[Spiritual Warrior]

11 hours ago, Princess Arabia said:

Nice thread.

Thanks. Have you read it??