In the War of Art by Steven Pressfield, he talks about how we feel the strongest resistance when the task is the most meaningful to our soul’s evolution. This shows up as different things like procrastination, fear, doubt, and excuses. This can be both a blessing and a curse.
The curse is it’s so hard to make ourselves do the things we want to do when resistance is so strong. The blessing is the resistance can help identify the things you should be focused on. There are many ways to overcome, but that doesn’t make it easy.
One thing he talks about is shifting your mindset from amateur to professional. An amateur will stack all kinds of reasons to not do the tasks. A professional gets it done no matter what.
This is one of my favorite quotes from the book:
“How many pages have I produced? I don’t care. Are they any good? I don’t even think about it. All that matters is I’ve put in my time and hit it with all I’ve got. All that counts is that, for this day, for this session, I have overcome Resistance.”
Professionals get the work done regardless of how strong the resistance is.
— Bus
3 comments
Jeon BZERKART33 LeMay
I’m so glad I read that thank you bus I really needed to hear that there have been some areas in my life that I’ve been resistant to but after reading that I have now have encouragement to push force and complete them so once again thank you
Francisco rodriguez
That’s a great reflection — you captured one of the most powerful ideas from The War of Art. I agree completely that resistance is both an obstacle and a guide. It’s interesting how Pressfield reframes that inner struggle: instead of seeing resistance as a sign to stop, he treats it as proof that the work matters. The stronger the resistance, the more meaningful the task likely is to your growth.
Your point about shifting from an amateur to a professional mindset is spot on. Professionals don’t wait for inspiration or motivation — they show up and do the work even when it’s uncomfortable. That mindset builds consistency and mastery over time.
I especially like the quote you chose. It really highlights discipline over outcome — focusing on the process rather than perfection. That’s a powerful lesson not just for artists, but for anyone trying to achieve meaningful goals despite fear or doubt.
Jester 147
So true. In the past I have avoided projects, pieces, or simplest tasks. It’s because I have been scared. I am scared to look like a fraud if I do this or that. Truth is fear of failure or being hurt has kept me from many things.
No I look at these things as opportunities. I will gain something out of it even if I fail.
Now I just say “Keep at it.”