DO THE WORK! by Steven Pressfield

Resistance is one of those words that can be used in a variety of contexts. In politics, it might mean a resistance movement. In medicine, there is antibiotic resistance and in physics, biological resistance — that is a measure of how well minerals resist erosive factors. And let us not forget the video game, TV show, movie, song and novel, all with the title Resistance.

In Steven Pressfield’s 98-page book DO THE WORK!, he asks the question, “Does resistance kick your butt?” An interesting use of the word, to be sure. Pressfield wrote the book as a means of coaching us through a project (a book, a ballet, a new business venture, a philanthropic enterprise), from conception to finished project.

The enemy that often hinders completion of projects, he believes, is not lack of preparation, the difficulty of the project, the state of the marketplace or the emptiness of our bank account. The enemy is Resistance!

DO THE WORK! takes us step-by-step from a project’s inception to its “ship date,” hitting each predictable Resistance point along the way. Pressfield makes sure we know that the “real you” must duel the “resistance you”. He then shows us “how to get out of our own way.”

Resistance can also get in our way in relationships. At the office you might be resisting asking your boss for a raise or telling your employee that he needs to do a better job. In your personal life, perhaps you are resisting telling your elderly mom that it’s time to give up the car keys or your teenage son that his behavior is getting out of hand. Resistance hovers everywhere.

I leave you with two pieces of advice from Pressfield:

Trust the soup. Stay stupid.

Well, maybe one more piece of advice. Read the book.  It’s irresistible.