How to Overcome Resistance

I was just reading an interview with Steven Pressfield by one of the Domino Project‘s team members, Ishita Gupta. Mr. Pressfield is author of several well known books, one of which became a popular movie. The Legend of Bagger Vance and The War of Art are two of those books.

He recently had a short manifesto, Do the Work, published by one of Seth Godin’s latest endeavors, the Domino Project. Ishita Gupta was interviewing him about this book, and one thing in particular really jumped out at me that has specific application to your finances as well as any other areas of your life.

The book is primarily about resistance in life and the fight to overcome it. Ishita asked him about a specific time in his life where he was living in his van and trying to write a book. She asked him how he got motivated to finish his book when there was no one there to push him.

His answer is memorable. “So the pain of not doing it was worse than the pain of doing it. I never really thought about it from an accountable point of view because I just had to do it, there was no question.”

You see, that there is the key to change. In your finances, no person, or program, or book is going to be able to change your financial situation. Only you hold the key to that. When the pain of where you are finally becomes stronger than the pain of making a change, then you will do it. At that point, those books, or coaches, or programs can then help you along that path, but the catalyst has to be overcoming your own resistance.

Ironically, that book that he finally finished never amounted to anything. Neither did the next one. But if he hadn’t overcome that resistance and finished that book, he never would have gone on to become the success he is today.

What area of your life are you facing resistance in right now?

By the way, Do the Work is free in the Kindle version. If you don’t have a Kindle, you can download free Kindle applications for your smart phone or computer.

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