Are you a born traveller who never travels?

A born entrepreneur who never starts a company?

Or a born writer, musician or painter who never writes, makes music or paints?

If so, you’ll know what author Steven Pressfield calls “Resistance”.  It's a force that confronts anyone who tries to follow whatever their heart is calling them to do.

In his book The War of Art, Pressfield gives an extreme example:

Hitler wanted to be an artist.  At 18 he took his inheritance and moved to Vienna to live and study.  He applied to the Academy of Fine Arts and later to the School of Architecture. 

Ever see one of his paintings?  Neither have I.  Resistance beat him.  

Call it an overstatement, but I’ll say it anyway:  it was easier for Hitler to start World War II than it was for him to face a blank square of canvas.

Now before we go any further, I want to make this clear:

I am not (I repeat not!) comparing myself to Hitler.

But…

I do relate to this idea of Resistance. 

And I see how letting Resistance win has been the cause of many of my woes.  Not least the feeling that comes with it.

In Pressfield’s own words:

What does Resistance feel like?   Unhappiness.  We feel like hell.  A low-grade misery pervades everything.  We’re bored.  We’re restless.

If this is true (was certainly true for me), then why is Resistance so tough to beat?

Lots of reasons methinks. Pushing back against Resistance could mean facing our fears, standing up to friends and family, stepping into the unknown or starting again from scratch.

And somehow these things aren’t worth it.  Even if we do feel restless or miserable.

Bottom line: 

It’s easier to read a book than write a book...

It’s easier to battle the daily commute, play office politics and shuffle paper than it is to change direction and find work which sets our hearts alight…

And perhaps it’s easier to start a war than become an artist (but I’ll let the history buffs chew this one over).

Lots of doom and gloom here I know.  

But for anyone who feels Resistance and would like to overcome it, there’s good news too.

Very good news in fact.

Back to Pressfield one last time:

Resistance seems to come from outside ourselves.  We locate it in spouses, jobs, bosses, kids.  In fact, Resistance arises from within.  It is self-generated and self-perpetuated. 

Why is this such good news?

Because it means we can defeat Resistance ourselves.

The power is in our own hands, even if it doesn’t feel this way.

And if you feel some Resistance to a project or passion and you'd like to tap into this power, coaching might help you do that.

If you’re interested or intrigued, here’s the link to book a no-obligation discovery call with me:

https://calendly.com/followingfulfilment

That’s it for today. 

- Tom