When pursuing goals, most people look for specific, positive markers to let them know they are on the right path. These include sales figures, customer opt-ins, page views, positive email responses, Likes, productive lunch meetings, pounds lost, improved race times, etc. This positive feedback can be critical to the success of their endeavor. Not only is this data helpful, it also encourages them to push forward and move ahead.
But we can also learn to navigate by the presence of negatives. Most goals and projects are met with some degree of opposition, push back, or skepticism. None of this is inherently negative, but simply the nature of the beast. And this seems even more amplified when we embark on doing something big. If you don’t believe me, just try it. Come up with any great or potentially world-changing idea and I guarantee the trolls and haters will come pouring out of the woodwork.
And this is a good thing.
Steven Pressfield, author of many books including The War of Art, speaks to the level of Resistance being in direct proportion to presence of importance. The greater the goal, the bigger the Resistance.
So when you find yourself coming up against obstacles and opposition—and you will—you can use these as guideposts to let you know you are on the right track.
