Fresh Start Monday #79: Use fear as a compass
I first read the book, The War of Art by Steven Pressfield back in September 2017.
It was a month before I flew to Australia on a one-way plane ticket. A month before I started my first website, a month before I published my first word online, and a month before I made my first social media posts. Everything that I’ve built now, in some ways, started with this book.
Previously, I always felt a ton of fear about ever sharing anything about myself. I thought that people would think I’m weird, that I’m a bad writer, or that I have nothing new and interesting to share.
A big part of what stopped me was the idea that I was the only one. I saw all these other people creating things and I was like, wow, they must never feel what I’m feeling.
That because I feel all this fear and self-doubt, and that I’ve been procrastinating for several months on announcing this website that I shouldn’t do it.
These emotions must be telling me something. You shouldn’t do this. It's not for you.
The War of Art taught me otherwise. These feelings are exactly why you should do it.
“Fear is good. Like self-doubt, fear is an indicator. Fear tells us what we have to do.
Remember our rule of thumb: The more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it.
Resistance is experienced as fear; the degree of fear equates to the strength of Resistance. Therefore the more fear we feel about a specific enterprise, the more certain we can be that that enterprise is important to us and to the growth of our soul. That's why we feel so much Resistance. If it meant nothing to us, there'd be no Resistance.”
Most of us have two lives. The life we live and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands resistance.
Resistance is the negative force that’s actively working against stopping us from the things we want to do. It stops us from doing anything that we know in our hearts will level up our lives.
Resistance will tell you anything to keep you from doing the thing. You know what the thing is.
It’s anything creative, (writing, painting, music, film , dance, art) anything entrepreneurial, diet or health regimen, any endeavor whose aim is to help others, a risk of any kind, any course or program to overcome an unwholesome habit, a commitment of the heart, and any change you want to make in your life.
If you're still not sure, it's the thing that you’ve put off for weeks, months, years, or even decades.
Resistance can show up in many ways. Procrastination is the most common form because it's easy 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.”
Other common forms are drugs, shopping, sex/masturbation, TV, alcohol, any product that contains fat, sugar, salt, or chocolate.
Resistance is immediate gratification in favor of long-term growth, health, or integrity. It can also be defined as self-sabotage.
Three common ones for me:
I need to learn more about a topic before I can write or create something. Or I need to learn about something in the world and suddenly, it's the only important thing.
I recently spent two weeks in a rabbit hole of reading about herbs, spices, and their antioxidant levels. It's easy to rationalize as important. I'm now a little healthier. Did I get anything productive done towards what I want to create in this world? No.
New hobbies. A new hobby is exciting, brings instant joy, and you get better fast. I usually find that right when I'm on the verge of pulling the trigger on something and committing to action, I find a new hobby. I see it all the time in clients too. They “suddenly” don’t have the time to pursue their thing.
Now, when someone tells me they have a hundred different hobbies or interests, I always wonder what they're avoiding.
Sugar. Always sugar. Let me treat myself to this ice cream, and then I'll be ready to get some work done. Typical flow: Treat. Sugar crash. No work done.
Journal Prompts
What's the thing you're avoiding?
How does resistance show up?
What are your perfectly good excuses and plausible explanations for not doing your work?
I encourage you to write these down. It's easier to spot the lies we tell ourselves to avoid our work once they're on paper. Seeing the lies on paper creates a separation from them.
We never overcome resistance once and for all. It's a daily battle. A battle that every other person also fights.
The first step is awareness. Bring resistance to light. Be courageous enough to follow it.
Local to Boulder, CO?
Join us Tuesday (3/12) on Meetup for a free biweekly journaling group.
Thoughtful Tuesdays - Biweekly Journaling Group
Tuesday, March 12th at 6pm MT. Location: Private residence. I’ll send out the address 24 hours before the event starts to anyone who RSVP’s as going.
Books
Currently reading:
Finished reading:
The Comfort Crisis: Embrace Discomfort To Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self
The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles
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