In his book Do the Work: Overcome Resistance and get out of your own way, Steven Pressfield had great one liners, deep thoughts and challenging questions for his reader.
When I read it I was struggling with an aspect of my practice and feeling overwhelmed… however I was still moving forward. It is worth reading, as it will challenge you, make you think deeper and also make you smile at his writing style.
Love the analogy that ‘resistance is the pain-in-the-ass schoolteacher who won’t let us climb that tree in the playground. But the urge to climb came first. The urge is love. Love for the material, love for the work, love for our brothers and sisters to whom we will offer our work as a gift. What is your gift for the world?
When you are struggling with something i.e. the completion of a project, reaching a goal weight, achieving financial independence… ask yourself how bad do you want it?
Highlights of the book for me include:
Fight the Resistance
‘Our enemy is not lack of preparation; it’s not the difficulty of the project, or the state of the marketplace or the emptiness of our bank account. The enemy is resistance.
A child had no trouble believing in the unbelievable, nor does the genius or the madman. It’s only you and I, with our big brains and our tiny heart, who doubt and overthink and hesitate.’ This is so true!
He encourages readers – don’t think. Act. Once we commit to action the worst thing we can do is stop. This got me thinking about the power of momentum – sometimes we have to just DO something … anything that will move us closer to our goals.
Bleed for your ideas
‘Do you love your idea? Does it feel right on instinct? Are you willing to bleed for it?’ – I loved his challenge here, how much do you really want to achieve what you have set out to do?
Make a decision
On the topic of research he shares, ‘Research can be fun. It can be seductive, that’s its danger. We need it. We love it. But we must never forget that research can become resistance’. We find research can be a form of procrastination, we suggest this: collect half the facts and make a decision based on those … trust your gut.
Follow the crazy
He says ‘the crazier the better. Stay stupid. Follow your unconventional, crazy heart.’ If you believe in a goal or a project, pursue it, follow what you believe is the right thing. Sometimes our goals or plans don’t make sense to those around us but that doesn’t mean you need to stop. Trust your own crazy.
Keep working. Keep working. Keep working – enough said.
Maybe part of our resistance is our fear of failure, which reminded me of one of the best quotes from Marianne Williamson:
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people don’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
What are your ideas on how you can fight the resistance and do the work? Share your ideas with us here on our blog.
PS. If you want more ideas on how to increase your productivity and do more work check out other blogs here and several eBooks you can share with your team.
