Have you ever quit something once it got hard? Have you ever got an email with an opportunity, but never returned it? Or, bought a Master Class, signed up for a course, and never even took the time to start it?
I have. And one quote encapsulates it for me:
“The sharpest minds often ruin their lives by overthinking the next step, while the dull win the race with eyes closed.”
In our fantasy worlds, the person we want to be is so clear. We’re millionaires, successful musicians, writers and painters. We spend each day living our lives to the fullest. There aren’t any problems, no bumps in the road — we envision our success, and there it is, in our imagination at least.
Sadly, this is where many of us will stay — in our heads overthinking everything.
The devastating truth of the matter is there will always be something in the way of our success. There will always be something we have to consciously, and uncomfortably push past in order to win. There will always be resistance.
Steven Pressfield, author of The War of Art taught me how to overcome it.
Resistance Is a Bully
Resistance cannot be reasoned with, according to Pressfield. It’s Michael Myers or the shark in Jaws; it keeps coming back no matter what.
This leads us with two options:
- We can blame the world for creating resistance. We can be the victim. “Why are things unfair?” we might say. “If only I was born to a millionaire,” or “Why didn’t our parents raise us better?”
- Or, we can acknowledge the playing field isn’t leveled. But it is fair enough to give us a chance. We have the tools at our disposal to become something great. The only thing that stands in our way is ourselves.
Every day, Pressfield concludes his morning routine by sitting at his desk and writing for four hours. He doesn’t care how much he writes. Or, if it’s any good. He only cares that he battled with resistance and won.
That’s the secret, that’s what separates the amateur writer from the pro. The pro sits down every day and goes to work. He doesn’t care if he’s sick, not feeling up to it, or if he doesn’t feel like he’s in the right creative space. I like what novelist Somerset Maugham once said:
“I write only when inspiration strikes. Fortunately it strikes every morning at nine o’clock sharp.”
You can use excuses and avoid working like a pro. Tell yourself, “you’ll do it tomorrow” or “that the world is too crazy for you to focus on your work.” Most people won’t even blame you, things are pretty insane out there. However, one thing is for certain: the sun will rise again tomorrow, and the opportunity to better yourself, to take one more step towards becoming a professional will be there as well.
The War of Art
Do not let fear stop you. As Pressfield illuminates in The War of Art, let fear guide you:
“Fear is good. Like self-doubt, fear is an indicator. Fear tells us what we have to do.
Remember our rule of thumb: The more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it.
Resistance is experienced as fear; the degree of fear equates to the strength of Resistance. Therefore the more fear we feel about a specific enterprise, the more certain we can be that that enterprise is important to us and to the growth of our soul. That’s why we feel so much Resistance. If it meant nothing to us, there’d be no Resistance.”
You can despise the world and make it 1% worse, which may compound into others thinking as cynically. Or you can be the hero of your own story, and inspire others to do the same. You won’t know unless you try.
“Creative work is not a selfish act or a bid for attention on the part of the actor,” said Pressfield. “It’s a gift to the world and every being in it. Don’t cheat us your contribution. Give us what you got.”