“Resistance cannot be seen, touched, heard, or smelled. But it can be felt. We experience it as an energy field radiating from a work-in-potential. It’s a repelling force. It’s negative. Its aim is to shove us away, distract us, prevent us from doing our work.”
Steven Pressfield, The War of Art
Have there been times that you lost out on something in your business – or your life – because you hesitated?
You overthought, pushed it off to the side, planned for it, but didn’t take action.
Sound familiar?
How Resistance Creeps In
In his book, The War of Art, Steven Pressfield says the most common manifestation of resistance is procrastination. Procrastination tells a familiar story:
I’m going to start tomorrow.
Of course, we all know tomorrow turns into next week, next month, next year. And the thing never gets done.
We have all felt resistance, and at some point this year, we’ll feel it again. It is one of the most natural things that can hold us back, but that doesn’t mean it has to control us.
Here are 3 things you can do when you feel resistance creep in.
Recognize Resistance
Recognize the areas where you let a bit of resistance creep in. Reflection is important in every area of life. Once a week or once a month, sit down with your goals or vision board and reflect on the work you have completed. Did you take action steps toward your goals, or have you been procrastinating?
But Don’t Dwell On It
Once you recognize you’ve been hesitating to start working towards a goal, don’t dwell on it. If you use your energy thinking about the time you wasted, you create a negative momentum that makes it more challenging to get out of resistance mode.
Use Accountability
Use an accountability partner or group to call yourself out on your resistance. Share your goal, how you’ve been avoiding it, and what steps you will take to break through the resistance and get started. Then, have your accountability partner check in with you as often as you need to get the momentum moving forward.
What are you resisting right now?