I wake up, I get a coffee and chat over breakfast. The sun is up and I walk outside to the beachfront with my coffee and little dog ‘Jack’. I sit and connect with nature for a while. I get home and organise my Diary for the day. The dishes need doing and the lawns are in need of a trim. I want to get the fence fixed and start converting my shed into a studio.
Now I have a choice. Play Guitar? Song write? Write this Blog post? …or do I do all of the little jobs that need doing but aren’t really important. Facebook, youtube,… next thing I know, it’s 11am and I’ve achieved nothing. Now I feel even worse. My energy is low. It now takes real effort to even start a project or go to the gym.
For me…this is ‘Resistance’.
Resistance is better described in the incredible book “The War of Art” – by Steven Pressfield. I recommend it to everyone…seriously everyone!
Resistance is all of those things that prevent us from doing ‘our work’. By that I mean, we are all here with certain gifts and talents. We all have a calling to do ‘our work’.
Resistance turns up in many many forms. It’s fear, doubt, sex, alcohol, drama, relationships, procrastination, depression, anger, materialism…on and on it goes.
Resistance doesn’t want you to follow your dreams and passion. It’s role is to cleverly justify all of the things it can to prevent you from doing your work.
Think of your own guitar practice. How many times have you justified doing it tomorrow… the kids are here. The dishes need doing, my guitar isn’t good enough. I’m tired, the tv is so awesome, my partner is here, I’m not inspired, I’m no good at Guitar, it’s in the case, it’s out of tune, I’ll call my Girlfriend… you fill in the blank.
The only way to overcome resistance is to ‘Do the work’.
The rewards for ‘doing the work’ are immediate and lasting. It infects our day in a positive way. We have more energy and excitement for everything else. We drink less, we eat healthier, we exercise more, we are happier, we feel like we are making a difference (because when we do what we are called to do, we are making a difference). We are inspired by the arts and good things begin to happen to us. Life gets easier.
But everyday is a war. Every morning you have the same choice. Do the work or avoid it.
Learn more about Mark McKenzie on his Google profile.
