An Empty Boat

By Lisa | Blogs

Jan 21

Abandoned boat in stormy sea

Many of us have an empty boat when we are fighting the waves of a storm called resistance in our lives. 2015 so far has knocked me right out of my boat and into the waves of a storm and I’m fighting with everything in me to get back in. Resistance hits everyone in various ways each year and no one is really immune.

When we get knocked out of the boat we have to determine if we are going to let this storm redirect our path or face it head on and swim with everything in us to get back in the boat as quickly as possible. My passions in life are worth fighting for so the following are some things I try to take from my time in the water.

  • Resistance in my life means I’m on the right track. I fight back even if only at a dog paddle and begin again towards those passions and goals.
  • Resistance also is something that shows me what I’m made of personally. Was I able to maintain a positive attitude? Was I able to not let the situation affect my emotions and harm others? Was I able to recognize my strengths during this time and find my weaknesses so that I can work on them?
  • Resistance causes me to focus more on the things that are important to me. Dealing with challenges and still making time for my passions becomes key during these times.
  • Resistance opens my eyes to learning. I evaluate the situation, see how I can avoid it or deal with it differently and utilize it to benefit me in some way, either to learn something new or redirect my path in a better light.
  • Resistance causes me to be thankful. I take the time to write out what I’m thankful for in my life and to pray to God and thank him for those things.
  • Resistance stir up things that I need to journal about due to the situation and other things going on in my life. Being frustrated due to a challenge or feeling emotional and not understanding why are key times to journal.
  • Resistance with health makes me recognize that I perhaps needed some rest and though it was intended to prevent me from doing things it also helps me to heal my body, get rest and take some time to focus on myself.

Take time out of your life to learn something from every opportunity that comes your way. Resistance is meant to cause stress, prevent you from doing your passions, delay results on projects or goals, cause frustration and anger, even cause families to become chaotic. Mentally take a step back and recognize this for what it really is, a time to learn something, a time to focus on you, a time to heal, a time to be grateful, a time to reflect and observe and most importantly a time to find your strengths through the storms. Show resistance what you are made of and get back into the boat, waves or not, the storm will eventually pass.

How do you deal with resistance? What steps have you taken in times of stress to get through those challenges and get back on track?

Please feel free to comment below and share this with someone you think would benefit. Thank you for reading. Have a blessed day!

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(7) comments

Kellie Boda January 21, 2015

Hmmm…I like that…”Resistance opens my eyes to learning…” I think it’s at this point most of us throw in the towel rather then evaluate the situation and see what can be learned from it. So when we see that wave rolling in we know how to be prepared. How to duck down through the wave and swim through it because we will come out on the other side, hop back in our boat and start paddling again! You are so right about “attitude.” Attitude is everything. See a situation for what it is, what we can learn from it, and just KEEP GOING!
Great post! Thanks for being so transparent and sharing your own battles with resistance…I know I am not alone floating in the sea 😉

Reply
    Lisa Ballan January 23, 2015

    Thank you for commenting Kellie. Glad to see I’m in the water with friends and we are all trying to get back in our boats as we learn more and do more. 🙂

    Reply
      Ibrahim April 3, 2015

      Finindg this post. It’s just a big piece of luck for me.

      Reply
Jay January 21, 2015

It is in the toughest of times, when the tide is truly against us, that we learn the most. We learn who we are, our strengths, our weaknesses and most importantly the skills that we need to navigate our onward journey. Great post, Lisa!

Reply
    Lisa Ballan January 23, 2015

    Thank you for commenting. It does seem we learn the most during times of trials and resistance.

    Reply
Brian January 24, 2015

Amazing post, keep a strong attitude attitude move forward. All kinds of things are going to happen to us attitude did we can’t control it. How we handle it and our attitudes is a choice.

I read this somewhere a while back that put it into perspective. He landed and when he got to the hotel there was a mix up with his room and it wasn’t ready. He could have gotten upset and screamed and got stressed out but instead he went out and explored the Andrea and had an adventure.

Reply
    Lisa Ballan January 24, 2015

    Thank you for your comment Brian. Attitude seems to be a big deal in how we live our lives, get the most out of it and with doing things that matter and we are passionate about. I think an adventure is always better than loosing your cool.

    Reply
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