Resist the Resistance
I’m currently in the middle of Steven Pressfield’s popular book Do the Work. Even without finishing yet, I can already see how these ideas are shaping my workflow.
I’ve revisited the beginning sections on Resistance several times — and even though I got my copy from the library, I just ordered my own so I can highlight it!
Resistance: as creators and entrepreneurs, we’ve all felt it.
The good news? It’s universal. Everyone faces it when it comes to creative work, big projects, and other things we avoid doing (even when we say they matter to us).
We might believe our enemy is:
The difficulty of the project
The state of the marketplace
Lack of time
How empty our bank account feels
But the true enemy is Resistance.
It’s the invisible pull to delay, overthink, refine, and prepare.
If you’re anything like me, this definitely sounds familiar. As marketers and business owners, we’re especially good at disguising Resistance as productivity.
I know I have a tendency to:
Plan and plan and plan (I have notebooks full of plans!)
Outline
Brainstorm positioning
Revisit strategies
Sign up for webinars or courses
Research
Sure, sometimes that work is necessary. You can’t launch a successful new brand campaign without mapping out strategy and gathering Voice of Customer insights. But too much planning is often just Resistance.
So, how can we fight it?
Start before you're ready.
"We want to work, not prepare to work." - Steven Pressfield
Because the truth is, clarity doesn’t usually come before action. It comes from action.
Even research can be Resistance.
So, don't prepare — begin.
As the book points out, you can always revise after you’ve done something. You can’t revise what doesn’t exist.
"We can accomplish nothing until we act." - Steven Pressfield
This was a needed reminder for me: the goal isn’t to eliminate Resistance.
The goal is to recognize where Resistance is showing up, and to create anyway.
I’m especially determined to follow this advice as I want to work on a personal project — a children’s novel — but I’m deeply stuck in character development, plot points, and even whether to write in first person or third person. These sections on Resistance were the push I needed to stop circling around it and just write. Major revisions can come later!
Resistance is a sign you’re creating something that matters. It may show up every day and need to be overcome every day — even if it’s as simple as the feeling of needing to research and prepare more.
“The warrior and the artist live by the same code of necessity, which dictates that the battle must be fought anew every day.”
Choose to begin today!
Have you read Do the Work yet? It’s a short, quick read… highly recommended. I’d love to hear if you’ve read it — or how you’ve pushed past Resistance in your own work!