Resistance is Opportunity

“Is your attitude any better than it was last month?” – Brian Gottfredson

Resistance is Opportunity

I was reviewing my business goals with my friend Brian.  As we started he looked at me and asked, “Is your attitude any better than it was last month?”

His question didn’t catch me by surprise.  I had been working with several very difficult transactions and they had taken their toll.  It was right then that I knew I was not looking at those challenges correctly and I remembered a story a friend once told me.

A few years ago my friend was standing in a large crowd of people gathered early in the morning along the waterfront of Apia Harbor in Samoa.  It was an event of the National Holidays, when hundreds of people came to watch the Fautasi, or longboat, races that sweep in from the ocean to the calmer waters of the harbor where they cross the finish line.

The crowd was anxious with almost every eye turned to the water so they could catch the very first sight of the fautasis.  All of a sudden there was a huge cheer from the crowd as they caught a glimpse of the boats.  Every one of the boats had a crew of fifty oarsmen thrusting and pulling their oars as if they were one.  Staying in a steady rhythm allowed them to force their crafts to cut through the waves.  My friend said, “it was a beautiful sight.”

In no time at all, every boat and crewmember was in full view of the crowd as they pressed to the finish line.  Yet, even though the crew was strong and powerful, pulling with all their strength, the large heavy boats, filled with stout men, were always fighting against the powerful, adverse force of the ocean’s water.

When the first boat crossed the finish line the cheering reached its climax.  My friend walked over to the dock where the racing boats were secured at the conclusion of the contest.  It was there that one of the oarsmen explained to him that the prow of the fautasi is constructed so that it cuts through and divides the water to help it overcome the resistance that retards the speed of the boat.  He explained that the pulling of the oars, against the resistance of the water, creates the force that causes the boat to move forward.  Resistance creates both the opposition and the forward movement!

Friction, or resistance, is one of the most interesting phenomena in our world.  Without this force, a person or vehicle, could not move about, or if already in motion, could not be stopped except by collision.  Think about it!  Without resistance, simple things such as nails, screws and bolts would not stay in place; a cork would not stay in a bottle; a light bulb would drop from its fixture; a lid would not stay on a jar; a hat would not stay on our heads.

Brian and my friend’s story reminded me that my thinking was caught.  I was thinking that the law of friction or resistance only applied to science!  It doesn’t!  It has application to our personal lives as well. 

It is resistance that allows us to move forward.  It is resistance that gives us gain.  It increases our strength and our intelligence.  It is the creator of experience.  If we view it in the right light, it will be for our good and benefit.  In fact, it is this very law of opposition that makes freedom of choice possible.

So now, I choose to see the progress that has come out of my caldron of struggle and heartache.  You and I have known great trials and personal difficulty.  But, we can see them for what they are, opportunities.  We can remember that the same forces of resistance, which prevent our progress, afford us the opportunities to overcome!