This week I sat down and read — in one sitting, which is so rare! — Do the Work by Steven Pressfield, an awesome piece of writing that you should definitely check out asap!
Marie Forleo calls it “The #1 Book On The Planet for Entrepreneurs and Creators” and if you read it you’ll see why.
Today, I want to share with you an idea I had after reading the book.
Pressfield directly addresses Resistance as a key component to any creative endeavor. Instead of talking about it in terms of external pressures and obstacles, Pressfield clearly states that Resistance comes from within.
It is much like a force of nature, and it’s objectives aren’t personal. However, it is something that lives inside us, something we cannot escape by changing locations, jobs, friends, or even outfits. This is a battle we must face internally.
Resistance is your teacher.
“Rule of thumb: The more important a call or action is to our soul’s evolution, the more Resistance we will feel toward pursuing it.” ~ Pressfield
Conversely, Resistance has great things to teach us about our true desires, our purpose, and where we are meant to be headed. If we listen to our resistance, watch it as if it were a compass, we will know exactly where we are really meant to be. Where do I feel the most resistance? Then THAT is the area where my attention is most urgently needed at this moment.
We get so uncomfortable with fear, resistance, obstacles, and are afraid to say anything negative for fear of “attracting more negative.” But we have to be honest. We have to acknowledge and own reality. Sometimes I feel resistance to a next step. And when I break down the resistance into its component parts, invariably I find that it is actually fear. Whether it’s ego or self-doubt, financial concerns, self-esteem issues, believing I don’t have enough time… whatever the resistance, at its core it is always fear.
So I can be the warrior and slay the dragon, which is the common language of dealing with resistance. (“KILL THE BEAST!”) But today I propose a much more feminine idea. Rather than conquering resistance, slaying the dragon as it were, I suggest that we transform it. See it for the dragon that it is. And use it.
Kill it or transform it?
Resistance can be called the dragon. Let’s say it IS a dragon, an actual winged, fire-breathing, scary-as-hell dragon. And I am facing the dragon. Do I use my weapons and attack? Do the war dance with the dragon? Blood and guts everywhere one way or another.
What if I took a different approach?
I recognize that this dragon is showing me exactly where my soul is truly inclined. The dragon is being a most excellent teacher. So how do I get past it? How do I, as the knight in this particular metaphor, learn about my path and avoid being destroyed by the dragon? Don’t forget, this is one scary motherf*cking dragon we’re talking about!
I want to piss my pants and run the other way. But I’ve made a promise to myself to see this through, to be true to my core nature as a creative being. The dragon is showing me exactly where I need to go to do bigger and better things. (You know the door to pass through or passageway you need to go down is always right behind the dragon! You have to get past the dragon to save the princess…) Still, I am really really REALLY feeling FEAR in this moment.
The Feminine Option
Fear. It’s ugly. It’s mean. It’s predatory. And I can try to fight it, or I can…
love it into something else.
Here’s the Exercise:
Close your eyes and visualize the dragon.
Now let it slowly begin to shrink. Smaller, smaller, smaller.
Let the dragon get small enough to fit right into your heart. That’s right. I mean it. Put the dragon inside your heart.
Can you do it? Can you feel the dragon in your heart? When you look down, do you see it looking up at you?
Fill the dragon with love. Give it so much love it might burst, so happy and content it hardly knows what to do with itself. It might even roll over on its back, exposing its tummy to be rubbed. That content.
Don’t forget, though. This is still a badass dragon. You have a dragon inside of you that can help you fight any battle you must fight. You have limitless power inside of you.
Resistance can be transformed into your greatest strength. YOU have the power. Always.
Now thank the dragon. Thank yourself.
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
love the image of keeping the scary dragon as your protector and defender – *way* better than slaying it
PJ
Thanks, PJ.