Resistance
3-5 minute read
Resistance is a Force of Nature who’s only goal is to stop you from doing what you truly want to be doing. Resistance is always around you. It manifests itself as friends and family who want you to do the reasonable thing and get a “normal” job — whatever that may be. Resistance camouflages itself as the justification inside your own mind that tells you, “I’ll start my diet after the Holidays,” or, “look at the success of this company, the market is looking for this kind of design”. Resistance thrives when you concede your ideas to the thoughts and opinions of others. The reason why certain designs and ideas flourish is because they were created in defiance of Resistance in the first place.
Resistance is what compels you sit and play video games, instead of creating something you’ve been longing to start. Resistance is the irrational part of you that resents others for being successful. Why? Because they’ve beat Resistance. Resistance does not want you to know that it is possible to overcome. You’ll make excuses for others’ success without even knowing it, “their parents are wealthy,” or, “they got lucky, they got in early”. Resistance wants you to believe that it is too late for you to start — it’s not. When you believe that, or any of the other lies you’ve told yourself, you’ve let Resistance grow stronger.
Luckily for us, we can fight Resistance. Resistance is not a Final Boss that can be defeated after acquiring the perfect endgame item. Resistance is a daily battle that you must win early on. Every single day. You may have felt moments where you’ve weakened Resistance. Perhaps you just cleaned your house or room, and you’ve felt energized, as if you’ve just accomplished something. Now that the weight of Resistance has been lifted off of your shoulders, it is the perfect time to strike. Resistance has showed an opening and you need to seize this opportunity. Sit down, and get to work. Reward yourself with that which you desire, not with a glass of wine, a joint, or the latest episode of that show you’re watching. Save that for when the battle is over.
When you wake up every morning, after you’ve checked your phone (a remarkable form of Resistance, by the way), steel yourself, as the battle has only just begun. To be sure, the battle with Resistance cannot be fought forever. Eventually, you will succumb. It is only normal. After all, we are mere mortals fighting against an unstoppable, continuous Force of Nature. The point is not to beat Resistance, that would be foolish. The point is to stand up to Resistance and fight for who you are and what you believe in. You fight Resistance to show it that you are not to be trifled with, that you are unlike the other mortals who have so easily given in to the game of Instagram and the countless other life-sucks that exist all around us. You fight so that you can say to yourself sternly, “I will do what I was born to do,” and actually sit down and get to work. It doesn’t matter if you’re starting a project that’s been on the back-burner for months, going to the gym, cleaning your house, or about to paint the next Mona Lisa. Every battle against Resistance will only make you stronger for your next encounter.
You fight so that you can continue fighting. You are a Warrior and a Warrior fights. However, a smart Warrior knows when her defences are weakening, and when to retreat. You will inevitably retreat when you’ve reached the point of diminishing returns. Then, and only then, will you allow yourself to be swayed by Resistance. You have fought hard, and you are able to look at Resistance and say, “I let you in on my terms.” Do not be fooled, the foe is not to be taken lightly. Resistance will be waiting for you with a hunger tomorrow morning.
*This post was inspired by the book The War of Art by Steven Pressfield*