Resistance Is Futile, Or, The War Of Art

Pressfield treats resistance as a monster, a thing outside of himself, like the Alien or the Terminator. It has one objective: to prevent us from doing the work that matters to us. It cannot be reasoned with; it is single-minded in its pursuit of sabotage.

I understand that. Sometimes it does feel like I’m fighting the inside of my own head. Like there are two voices in there, one quietly trying to do the right thing—and the other banging pots and pans and screeching like an attention-starved toddler.

Sometimes I manage to create a vast, quiet ocean between us; other times, the toddler (which I call my Inner Dickhead) hops on a jetski (because he’s that kind of wanker) and gets in my face.

If you’ve never thought of your resistance as an outside being before, give it a go. It becomes less like beating yourself up, which is never helpful, and more like fighting the good fight against a common enemy.

Do The Work

As the smart man says, the most important thing about art—any art, including engineer, garden design, computer programming—is to work. Nothing else matters except sitting down and trying.

Even if you only write 100 words today, and those 100 words are gibberish—you’re winning. You’re beating your Inner Dickhead because your Inner Dickhead doesn’t want you to write any words at all.

Sit down and try. That’s all you can do.

A Professional Seeks Order

As creative people, it can be tempting to believe we thrive in chaos. That we can’t be constrained, maaaaaaan. That we should be allowed to float free and create when the muse imbues us.

Well, as a creative professional, I call bullshit on that.

I’m at my most creative when I’m in a calm, orderly place at a time scheduled just for this—and so are all the successful non-starving artists I know.

My desk might become messy as the session goes on (all things tend to entropy, after all) but I start with a calm, clear desk and a calm, clear mind. Or I achieve nothing.

That creative faffery is just another face of your Inner Dickhead. It’s just another way to stop you doing the work. If you float around and wait for inspiration to strike, you’ll die of old age before you do anything worthwhile.

Want to write a book or compose a symphony or solve a tricky problem? Carve out time, schedule it in, clear your workspace and your headspace—and do the work.

Make The Decision Every Day

Pressfield says, ‘Turning pro is like kicking a drug habit or stopping drinking. It’s a decision to which we must recommit every day.’

This is about who you are, not what you’re doing. I am a writer, and writers write. Every day. Every day, I wake up and remind myself who I am. Then it becomes easier to do what I need to do.

I’m a writer, and writers write, therefore I must write today.

Decide who you want to be, then commit to it—today and every day. Even if writing isn’t your main profession, if you want to write a book you are a writer. That’s part of your identity. Own it.

Don’t Betray Yourself

Ambition is the most primal and sacred fundament of our being. Not to act upon that ambition is to turn our backs on ourselves and our reason for existence.”

I don’t believe we’re all put on this planet for one thing and one thing only. I think we get a choice, and sometimes we get to do more than one thing.

But I do believe that if we think deeply and do work that matters, we wake up one day and realise what we’re meant to do. What we want to do, more than anything else. I know I did. I know I’m here to help people write books. To help people get their messages out so they can make the world a better place in a small way.

Pressfield’s quote reminds me of one my favourite quotes from Mark Twain, which I have stuck on my office wall:

The two most important days of your life are the day you’re born and the day you find out why.”

Why do you believe you’re here? What work do you need to do? To allow your resistance, your Inner Dickhead, to sabotage you is a tragedy. We only get one life so live it to the full.