I got it! I know exactly what I am going to do!
An idea has struck you. You can feel the inspiration. You just know like you know that this is exactly what you should spend your time and your energy on. You even tell some friends about this great idea. Your significant other nods as they listen to you talk about how this idea is going to grow and be amazing and might even make a difference….maybe even make some money.
You go to sleep at night and have a smile on your face. Yes, this is it. You write in your journal.
You open your journal. You read the entry. You read your last words-Every day; I am going to practice every day. And your last entry was dated 10 days ago.
What happened?
You just came up again RESISTANCE. This gravity pressing against any act of inspiration, or invention, or creative endeavor. Its goal is to derail you from fully expressing yourself. And if your plan is to give this amazing idea as a gift to the world, it rises up to defy you.
“Who are you?” it cackles.
Steven Pressfield writes about this experience in his fantastic book called, theWARofART. Inviting you to make this book a permanent fixture on your desk. The chapters are short, the words are powerful. What have I learned from Mr. Pressfield?
I have learned that Resistance is:
- Impersonal
- Waiting
- A compass
- Unhelpful criticism from self
- Unhelpful criticism from others
- Invisible
- Felt
Comes in a variety of forms and at times even temporarily possesses the ones we love.
The most freeing idea, the idea I just fell in love with, is that resistance is a compass showing us what next steps to take.
Thank you Mr. Pressfield for this book. Thank you for the WAR of ART.
