Behind the Scenes: On Resistance
My friend Dave, overcoming a little resistance and some cold.
“Procrastination is the most common manifestation of Resistance because it’s the easiest to rationalize.
Never forget: This very moment, we can change our lives. There never was a moment, and never will be, when we are without the power to alter our destiny. This second, we can turn the tables on Resistance.
This second, we can sit down and do our work.”
Holy shit the excuses I can come up with: I'm too tired, I have to do my laundry, I've been looking at a screen all day already, I've got to make dinner...all the things I need to do before I can sit down and do my work. Right?
For those unfamiliar with the term, Resistance was coined by Steven Pressfield in his book the War of Art (highly recommended read). At its essence, Resistance is all the rationalization we put on that prevents us from doing the work.
For me, Resistance doesn't just appear in my filmmaking or business. Steven Pressfield describes resistance as something that shows up in all acts that "rejects immediate gratification in favor of long-term growth, health or integrity." Things like:
Starting a new, healthier way of eating.
Launching the side project we always dreamed of.
Learning how to paint.
Improving our relationships.
Picking up a new morning habit.
Since discovering The War of Art, recognizing and overcoming resistance has been a constant occurrence. I see it everywhere, in my training, my relationships, on side projects and in my work.
The beauty is that between the resistance and my work, there's a gap. This is where I've got to show up. Take a step forward with a project. Sit down and edit after work. Resist pressing snooze a third time and get up to write. Ship the work. There is no secret, other than to simply show up and do.
Here's another great post by Seth Godin on Resistance on 99u, a collection of 5 books for overcoming fear in the creative process from Brainpickings, and a playlist I created to move through resistance. I recently rediscovered the use of music to put in the right wavelengths. Am I the only one who uses a playlist like this? Anyways, I'll leave you with a quote I have written in my notebook from 2013:
“The professional endures adversity. He lets the birdshit splash down on his slicker, remembering that it comes clean with a heavy-duty hosing. He himself, his creative center, cannot be buried, even beneath a mountain of guano...He reminds himself it’s better to be in the arena, getting stomped by the bull, than to be up in the stands or out in the parking lot.”