Resignation is the state of accepting what we could change if we put our heart into it. Sometimes resignation is caused by lethargy; other times by cynicism and loss of hope. When resignation has become a dominant movie of the mind, we sell out in matters that count for us. Often, we pay the price of resignation in feelings of dissatisfaction and resentment, even though we are not always aware of it. Knowing where we are resigned and how it influences us creates new opportunities for action and change.

A good example of someone who has every reason to become resigned but does not is illustrated in Hollywood Shuffle (1987). It is based on the life of Robert Townsend, an African-American who showed great promise as an actor in three Hollywood films, but who could not break into star status because of the racial stereotype influencing those who might have helped him. Instead of being resigned to his fate, he scrapped together left-over film and any money he could get and made his own film. Hollywood Shuffle is the movie he made. Like Townsend's own life, the film shows the determination of a young man to buck the racial stereotype which limits him. It is a story about determination.

If you find yourself being resigned to aspects of your life that could be changed if you put out some effort, then "Given Up" will help you get started.

Your movie

In a moment, you will use your imagination to get a clearer picture of your inner movie about resignation. The point of understanding this pattern of thoughts, feelings, and effects is to deepen your awareness of its dynamics and impact, so you can make conscious choices and create a new movie to live within.

Recall a time when you felt resigned. Close your eyes and replay the experience in your imagination. Then, write a brief description of the drama below, carefully including the thoughts that supported the drama, the feelings that arose from those thoughts, and how those feelings affected what you said and did. (Enter your response in the following box or in your word processor window.)

What effects did this drama have on you and others?

Consequences

Briefly describe what you get from resignation. What are the payoffs?

Briefly describe the price you pay for it. What parts of yourself and your life do you sacrifice because you are too resigned?

Is what you are getting in payoffs worth the sacrifices you have to make?

New choices

Having become more aware of this movie, including what you get from it and what you sacrifice, what new choices in thinking and being are being revealed to you? Note them.

Create a new movie

Relying on those choices and your creativity, sketch out ideas for a different movie which incorporates new ways of thinking and being. As you create your new movie, be aware that you are of two minds because you have a dual nature. Your duality gives you the capacity to shift from one thought to its opposite in a search for balance. For example, there is a side of you that can take responsibility for making changes that will serve you. How will cultivating that capacity alter how you live?

As you look back on your work, identify the first step you will take to make the changes you designed.

With your eyes closed, imagine living in your new movie.

Many people become resigned without knowing it. Changes they could make with effort are forgotten, so they stay entrenched in old patterns of thinking and living. Falling into resignation, they sell out their dreams, so they miss the opportunity to create lives they love. Resignation and the capacity for action exist as potentials in all of us. Seeing these opposing tendencies as choices, we increase our access to freedom. When we catch ourselves in resignation, we can choose to be resigned and live with our circumstances or, if the price is too high, move into action in order to make a change. When we live in balance, both possibilities are available to us.