Why We Resist Our Inner Calling

The archetypal hero’s journey, which shows up in myth and core stories from cultures around the world, begins with a first phase where a hero hears a particular call, a call to go on a journey, a call to make a particular achievement.  Step two is resisting that call. Resistance is actually a part of the process.  It’s almost like the friction or labor pain that then gives way to the action that follows.  

We resist our callings because they call us out of our habitual lives.  They call us into something bigger and the part of us that loves safety and the status quo and fitting in says “No thank you, I think I’ll stay here with what I’m doing.” And for most of us that resistance can last a very long time and what you want to work toward is just recognizing the resistance and letting go of it.

60 Second Reads is recorded in Big Think’s studio.

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