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Resistance is Necessary

Written by admin

Topics: Successful Thinking

I’ve seen something interesting in play with every group of interns I’ve worked with over the last couple of  years.  When a mom takes a dramatic step out into new territory, she meets with some kind of resistance.

My interns commit ten hours a week for ten weeks to learning, researching, writing and putting themselves out there in a big way.  Depending on how you look at it, it is both a huge commitment and a reasonably small one.   Either way, the commitment is understand beforehand and very carefully considered.

The payoff (coaching, experience,  insider knowledge, expensive learning resources) makes the arrangement attractive to a mom who might otherwise not be able to get access to these things.  She considers the time required, compares it to the benefits and decides to apply.

Internship space is limited (I accept about 6 interns at a time) and I only want to work with those who want it bad so I spend  time during the interview trying to scare the applicants out of the commitment.  I stress that the internship involves challenging projects, firm deadlines and tough critiques!

Anyone who gets in has to want it pretty bad and convince me of it.

That being clear, will it surprise you to learn that I ALWAYS lose at least one intern in the first two weeks and usually lose at least one more before the first month is through?

The reasons vary.  Some, despite my best efforts to drill it home, are unprepared for the reality of committing ten full hours a week to working on the internship so they fall behind and drop out.  Others experience unexpected family situations like illness, death, flooding, computer failure or job loss.    (When crisis strikes, you have to put your family and yourself first.  I completely understand that the internship must take a back seat 0r even be dropped entirely.  I wouldn’t have it any other way. )

Losing interns has become so predictable I almost wonder if I should place a warning on my internship application.

“Warning:  Efforts to improve your life, business and finances will wreak havoc in your life.  Apply at your own risk.”

Many attempts to improve your life will be met with some resistance.

Some things happen completely out of your control and foil your plans.  You have to adapt to a new set of priorities and that’s just that.  It’s not the end of your goals, just a redirection.

But what about those things that come up that you could control if you really wanted to  – but you decide to use as an excuse to quit because this is all so much harder than you expected it to be?

Don’t accept opportunities to make excuses.  Make it an opportunity to resist the urge to quit.

If you’re ever going to reach that next level of success, resistance is necessary.

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  • http://www.coachnikkib.com Nikki

    Kelly, maybe we are allowed to encounter resistance, hardships, and challanges right along with the greatest of opportunities, just so we can find out what we are really made of and determine how badly we want to accomplish our goals. Sometimes, challanges may be placed in our path so we have to turn around, but most often, I think it is to see how creative we will be at overcoming that obstacle. :)

  • http://www.aclosetwriter.com Closet Writer

    Kelly this is great stuff & so true! The one thing I have learned since becoming a professional blogger is it’s not for the faint of heart.

    You need to be willing to work hard & I decided I am! I have no plan B, I want my blogging business to succeed.

    Thanks for the “real words”!

  • http://www.carteblanche-freelance.com Jaime-Ann

    Kelly,
    Blogging is very hard to stay positive about. You pour your heart, your soul, and your time into something and then “it” happens. “It” being the roadblock, the wall, the thing that always happens when things are going smoothly. But, if you have what it takes to succeed then you will. At least that is what I tell myself.

    Deadlines are something that I swear always work against me. The harder I work to meet them the more bunk that gets in the way to muck it up, it never fails. But I never give up – if I were a quitter I would not still be blogging on my blog as it is still pretty new; therefore, much of what I post falls on deaf ears. (not sure if that is PC but it’s how I feel)

    It is a shame that every time you go through the process to literally handpick your interns that you lose some within just days. You should think of something to really get the point across to them in regards to drop off rates. =)

  • http://www.theblogmaven.org Shelley D

    I'm learning that resistance can be the “make and break” of anything. We can't control life, but we can control what we do to it. Once we decide, a course has been established.

    Blogging certainly isn't easy, but what I've learned thus far has been worth while. It's more rewarding when I'm able to share my knowledge with others and add a fee to it.

  • Anonymous

    I think that resistance is simply a measure of determination. Anyone who breathes, meets resistance in different forms frequently, and the way they react to it could indicate how important the goal was in the first place. Many of us hope for our big breakthrough, but don’t realize that the real breakthroughs usually come one step at a time.

  • doughraisingmom

    I think that resistance is simply a measure of determination. Anyone who breathes, meets resistance in different forms frequently, and the way they react to it could indicate how important the goal was in the first place. Many of us hope for our big breakthrough, but don't realize that the real breakthroughs usually come one step at a time.

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