Identifying Resistance Vs Negative Motivation Vs Habits Vs Ego Backlash.

[Beyond Words]

Maximizing progress towards our life purpose entails unwiring bad habits and negative motivation, adding good habits and positive motivation, overcoming resistance, and anticipating ego backlash (from long-term meditation).

Through what means can we successfully determine which component of progress is holding us back?

For example, when trying to progress in X, how can you know (or experiment to find out) whether progress is stifled either by resistance, undesired habits, negative motivation, burn out, drained will power, or ego backlash? What if there are multiple causes? How can you find out?

PS - For discussion purposes: I have read Leo's recommended book pertaining to resistance.

[Leo Gura]

Of course there can be multiple causes/factors. Humans are complex critters.

But it shouldn't be hard to tell what your obstacles are. Just sit down and honestly ask yourself: "What are my biggest obstacles?" Your intuition knows.

Things like bad habits are obvious.

Things like negative motivation is obvious. Just ask, "Why am I doing X?" and see what the reason is. Is it to avoid fear, or pain?

Etc.

[alyra]

I would assume the very least that could be done is mindfulness work. I am sure there are ways which can create leaps and bounds outside of mindfulness - but even then, being mindful as well would compound onto this exponentially. myself when I first heard of mindfulness, I did not want to sit and do nothing while being mindful - it sounded like torture - but what I did do, from there, over time, more and more occurrences of me spontaneously trying mindfulness during action happened - I would be sitting in the train and impatient, and with nothing better to do try to be mindful and aware, for example. Or when eating candy I would practice and attempt to be mindful. And these occurrences showed me surprising and insightful things. Some which I could have noticed years before but which I overlooked. Others which I had no conscious awareness of until intuition linked the ideas together. My attempts at mindfulness were each their own reward in a way. and so it was easy to continue progressing my mindfulness from there. 

 

 

I wish I knew a good answer to your questions - I do not fully understand the topic you are asking nor the response that Leo has given - so I hope that they have strong direct influence for you. But another thing I could say too - is patience as well. It is clear you are putting forth effort - and finding some answers and new questions - which reveals new layers. You will find the answer I am sure. 

Edited January 18, 2017 by aryberry

[Beyond Words]

@Leo Gura I suppose. How would you deal with self sabotage when you are about to make exponential progress in your life purpose? Would that be resistance, a habit (to avoid success), or negative motivation doing the yo-yo effect just as you're about to succeed?

When it is resistance, how do you consistently persevere through it? I'm often aware of the tricks and know "what the right thing to do" is but I feel like I sometimes use the knowledge about resistance as a way to justify why I gave in. It's so insidious!

[poimandres]

1 hour ago, Beyond Words said:

@Leo Gura I suppose. How would you deal with self sabotage when you are about to make exponential progress in your life purpose? Would that be resistance, a habit (to avoid success), or negative motivation doing the yo-yo effect just as you're about to succeed?

When it is resistance, how do you consistently persevere through it? I'm often aware of the tricks and know "what the right thing to do" is but I feel like I sometimes use the knowledge about resistance as a way to justify why I gave in. It's so insidious!

That answer probably varies on what the goal is.

The keep asking yourself, what is keeping you from completing XYZ? The it's another answer, OK what's keeping your from completing Answer #1? Then maybe it's the root, but it could be a other problem. So keep asking yourself, what's keeping me from completing Answer #2? More than likely it's because you just keep procrastinating, fear, etc..

How to persevere is to develop a strong will power. By focusing your daily expenditure of energy and using most of it on this one goal. If you have more than one goal, be mindful as you only have a finite energy level each day. Try not to complete everything in 1 day or even 1 month. Depends on the goal, again.

Edited January 19, 2017 by poimandres