Battling Resistance

“Most of us have two lives: the life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance.”
— Steven Pressfield

I should have seen it coming.  Whenever I pursue ambitious goals, Resistance always shows up to test my resolve and challenge my dedication.  Anyone who has read The War of Art by Steven Pressfield knows exactly what I’m talking about.  Resistance is that universal force that acts against us whenever we pursue creative goals.  It has many clever ways in which to sabotage our artistic aspirations, including anxiety, self-doubt, procrastination and an endless variety of shiny-new distractions that keep us from doing our life’s work.  And let’s not forget rationalization.  Resistance has kept me from my writing for two weeks because of rationalization.  I’ve been sick with the flu and have been nursing a sports-related injury all week, which has zapped all my creative energy — or so I’ve rationalized.  It all sounds so convincing and rational when you’re sick and in pain, so I postponed all creative activity until I was feeling inspired again.  Very clever, that Resistance, whispering poisonous suggestions in my ear while I’m impressionably weak.  Well, I’m feeling better now so I’m pushing back against Resistance by doing something creative.  I took out a pencil and paper and sketched out a drawing of one of my characters. Take that, Resistance!

“The more important a call or action is to our soul's evolution, the more Resistance we feel toward pursuing it.”
— Steven Pressfield

This blog post is my attempt to get back on track with my ROW80 (Round 1) goals.  I’ve started reading The War of Art again for encouragement.  For inspiration, I re-read one of my favorite short-stories, Shadows in the Moonlight, by Robert E. Howard.  I’m starting to get back into the flow of my pulp-serials again and will have a lot more to say about them in my next post.

“The Warrior and the Artist live by the same code of necessity, which dictates that the battle must be fought anew every day.”
— Steven Pressfield

Please visit the other writers in the ROW80 Community.
Keep the Fire Burning!