Ending Our Resistance to Life, Part 3
Replacing inner chatter with a mightier ally
The warrior and the artist live by the same code of necessity, which dictates that the battle must be fought anew every day. Resistance’s… target is the epicenter of our being: our genius, our soul, the unique and priceless gift we were put on this earth to give and that no one else has but us. Resistance means business.
Steven Pressfield. Do The Work
In part 2 of this series, we found wisdom in Steven Pressfield’s crucial insight: “Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance.”
Perhaps you want to be a better coder, a better writer, or a better musician. Perhaps you want to start a new business or begin an exercise program. You have good intentions, but your efforts seem to sputter out. You’re not alone.
When you work towards a meaningful goal, expect to face “a repelling force.” Pressfield calls it “Resistance.” In his journey to become a best-selling author, Pressfield encountered the many faces of Resistance.
In his book The War of Art, he explains the aim of Resistance “is to shove us away, distract us, prevent us from doing our work.” Pressfield warns, “any act that derives from our higher nature instead of our lower” will be met with Resistance.
Pressfield spells out the mindset of a professional and that of an amateur. The amateur gives in to Resistance, placing blame for unmet goals on life circumstances—their upbringing, their partner or lack of one, their busy schedule, and on and on.
Using external circumstances to rationalize our lack of progress is self-defeating. Pressfield instructs, “Resistance arises from within. It is self-generated and self-perpetuated… Rationalization is Resistance's spin doctor.”
Notice an urge to procrastinate that you experienced today. You’re not alone. Pressfield writes,
Procrastination is the most common manifestation of Resistance because it's the easiest to rationalize. We don't tell ourselves, "I'm never going to write my symphony." Instead, we say, "I am going to write my symphony; I'm just going to start tomorrow."
Resistance, Pressfield warns, “will tell you anything to keep you from doing your work. It will perjure, fabricate, falsify; seduce, bully, cajole.” Living with constant low-grade unhappiness and misery is a sign of self-deception. Like Pressfield, “we feel like hell.”
Succumbing to Resistance, most of us experience the feelings Pressfield describes: “We're bored, we're restless. We can't get no satisfaction. There's guilt but we can't put our finger on the source.”
If you think your stars have to align to beat Resistance, you’re wrong. What happens after you get a new desk and new computer? What happens after you find a quiet apartment or house, live with a supportive partner, and find a great job with a growth-minded boss? Resistance won’t retreat merely because you have changed your circumstances. When you’re still not ready to do your work, notice how your excuses morph.