Episode 133: How to Keep Going When Giving Up Feels So Good.
Congratulations, you made it through the Chinese New Year transition, only to be thrown into the flames of an astrological nightmare. So if you’ve been feeling like hiding under the covers least you get your head bitten off, or maybe you want to bite someone else’s head off….it’s not you, it’s the planets pushing all the buttons.
To make things worse, you set a goal, future you is expecting you to live up to and the weight of expectation is hitting you hard.
Welcome to the funnest phase of any process - resistance!
Truth is as soon as you decide to commit to anything, no matter how hard you want it, you’re going to hit this wall. And the size of this wall depends on what kind of baggage you have attached to the thing you want.
This week we cover why it shows up, how it can look and feel and strategies to move through it, gracefully. Ha! actually grace isn’t expected at all, this week we give you permission to get messy, like toddler with a box of crayons and a white wall kinda messy.
Because the best way to beat resistance is to ditch all expectations of how it should look and instead just do the thing, in whatever way feels good to you.
Comparisons, nagging, beating, doesn’t work for getting other people to do what you want, and it won’t work to get you to do anything either.
What does work is a plan to beat resistance where it lives, stay one step ahead of it, find some serious support and recognize when it throws down it’s last resort - self sabotage.
Thing is giving up always gives the most satisfaction in that moment; eating the cookie, sleeping in, not getting that job done….but achieving the goal has that long term satisfaction that can’t be topped!
This week’s action steps:
* Name the resistance early (don’t pretend it’s not there).
* Ask the identity question: “What would the person who does this 3x/week do right now?”
* Keep the action, allow it to be messy (late, distracted, imperfect = still done).
* Make a contingency plan for your predictable weak spot
* “I know when I’ll want to quit… so what’s my plan at that moment?”
* Replace the habit loop (cue → action → reward)
* Keep cue + reward, swap the action (ex: doom scroll → bracelet/beads/creative outlet).
* Build your support list/system ahead of time
* buddy, coworking, sponsor-style check-ins, AI journaling, phone in another room, time limits.
* Stop comparing timelines and come back to your own evidence + your own trend.
* Start an “evidence book.” Write down proof you’ve done hard things before (for future you).
The key takeaway from this episode is to avoid pushing through mud - just take a deep breath and adjust your course.
How to find the hosts
* Natasha Lockey
* Website: natashalockey.com
* Instagram: @BettyGoHard
* Facebook: Natasha Lockey
* Riding in the Weeds on Substack
Ginny Branden
* Website: soulpetconnections.com
* Also on Substack, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube under the same handle/name
Get full access to Riding in the Weeds Podcast at ridingintheweeds.substack.com/subscribe [https://ridingintheweeds.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]