The Thing That's Holding You Back

June 28, 2021

Weā€™re all aware of the inner forces that work against us when we try to achieve our true potential.

In his book ā€˜The War of Artā€™, Steven Pressfield calls this the ā€œResistanceā€.

Resistance is the thing that stops us from sitting down and doing our best work.

Resistance is the urge to procrastinate and the false belief that weā€™re not ready.

Itā€™s the voice inside our head that rationalises, creates fear and sways us from doing what we know we ought to be doing.

It even recruits our friends and family to hold us back from their own ā€˜resistanceā€™.

 ā€œResistance by definition is self-sabotage.ā€  ā€” Steven Pressfield. 

Resistance never goes away, but we simply learn to better deal with it.

When we fear doing something, it can often be an indicator that itā€™s incredibly important to us.

But we cannot let fear dictate our actions. When necessary, we must simply acknowledge it and push it to the side.

Everyone suffers from resistance, even the best of us.

But the pros donā€™t sit around and wait for inspiration to strike, nor do they suffer any less resistance than you or I, they simply get to work.

Do the work. Do what matters.

 ā€œI write only when inspiration strikes. Fortunately, it strikes every morning at nine oā€™clock sharp.ā€  ā€” W. Somerset Maugham 

This article was inspired by ā€œThe War of Artā€ by Steven Pressfield.

Being the second time Iā€™ve read this book, Iā€™ve noticed how much inspiration Seth Godin has taken from Pressfieldā€™s writing. Something about this second read made it connect much more.

Additional recommend reading ā€œThe Practiceā€ by Seth Godin.

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šŸ“Œ Quote of the Week

 ā€œThis is the other secret that real artists know and wannabe writers donā€™t. When we sit down each day and do our work, power concentrates around us. The Muse takes note of our dedication. She approves. We have earned favor in her sight. When we sit down and work, we become like a magnetized rod that attracts iron filings. Ideas come. Insights accrete.ā€ - Steven Pressfield

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