Steve Pressfield received unexpected advice upon finishing his first book.

He was ready to sit back and relax.  The book had been a major struggle.

His mentor told him to start his next book the same day.  Steve didn’t know it but his mentor was trying to save him from The Resistance.

 

 

The Resistance is the name Steve uses for the our tendency to put off doing our work.

The Resistance is grounded in fear but the excuses it gives us can appear quite reasonable…I deserve a break, I’m too stressed out, I’m sore today, I need to clean the house, etc.

The key to defeating The Resistance is to sit down and do your work every day.  Don’t let anyone interrupt you.  Don’t worry if your work isn’t perfect.  Perfectionism is another symptom of The Resistance.

Pat Lafontaine, regarded as the best American born hockey player in history, worked with NHL rookies after retiring.  The first thing he always told them was as follows (I’m paraphrasing):

Congrats on your accomplishment. But that part about getting here is now considered easy.   You’re here.  The hard part now is moving forward and getting better. If you want to stick around in this league you need to bring your A-game night after night, year after year. 

Let go of the past.  Let go of the future.  Both are distractions.

Do your work.

Let the results be what they may.

 

PS – This is fabulous advice for when you don’t feel like training.