Can’t resist
The War of Art
I did not read the books in any specific order but it was fitting that I read “The War of Art” last. When I learned that the author was talking about resistance, I knew that it was quite a familiar topic. Instead of tackling the things that were important I decided to use my time to make red velvet cupcakes this week. I never ever bake, but with school and paperwork due I decided to turn on the oven. Resistance and procrastination, I will start there. The author speaks about many forms of resistance but this topic stands out the most. Well should I say that it is the most prevalent in my life?
Resistance
How is it easier to do something that was never on your agenda and not do what you have had planned for months. It is like a force that directs you in the opposite direction. The author states that this is an issue for writers and many other disciplines. What is attractive about doing something that will prolong what you will have to do later. Resistance has that much power, but the author says that you can overcome this resistance by just sitting down and doing the work [1]. Maybe I should have read this before the cupcakes.
I personally call resistance the enemy. I have identified that resistance plays a large part in my life when I am fighting to achieve something. As long as I am doing something of little importance, I can do it with ease. There is no fear, procrastination, or even a second thought. The moment I want to make a change in my life or the lives of others the big “R” pops up. Resistance says “you can’t, you won’t, someone already did that, people are going to say you are doing too much, another reason for people not to like you, you are nuts, you are not well, you don’t have the tools, you are going to mess up and many other things. Resistance is the very response to the anxious thoughts that hinder my leadership. For this reason alone, I hope to pay more attention to those things that stop the pursuit of my goals.
On Writing: A memoir of the craft
King in his memoir offers many gems to writers. King shares how he has achieved some of his greatest writings at some of the most questionable times. King pleads with us to be serious as writers [1]. He believes that it is very important to put your best foot forward in your own work. He mentions that there may be places that you are most comfortable and inspired. As a writing in what ever capacity that I write I will take from King that my work should be satisfactory to me.
Pressfield, Steven. The War of Art:Break through the blocks and win your inner creative battles.Black Irish Entertainment,2002.
1. Ibid pg.22
King, Stephen. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft.An Imprint of Simon & Schuster,Inc. New York, 2000.
- Ibid pg.107
About the Author
Shonell Dillon
A daughter of the KING of kings and the LORD of lords. A lover of LIFE!3 responses to “Can’t resist”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Shonell – I like your post. These devils of resistance and procrastination must have camped everywhere I go. Great books that speak on our common challenges, You are not alone. I like the conclusion, “As a writer in whatever capacity I write, I will take from King that my work should be satisfactory to me.”
Shonell, I really enjoyed reading your blog! Thank you for your candidness, humor, and the gems you pulled out of King and Pressfield. You caught my attention with so many of your thoughts, especially this one: “How is it easier to do something that was never on your agenda and not do what you have had planned for months.” How is it that we all operate in that way so often?
I liked that you made the red velvet cupcakes. Was it fun to bake? My go-to activity when I need something fun and stress-free is baking chocolate chip cookies! Wish we lived closer and we could swap our baked creations.
Hi Shonell,
I resonated with your question, “How is it easier to do something that was never on your agenda and not do what you have had planned for months.” I find that I need to clean my house, do my laundry, meal prep…you name it …when it is time to do a blog post or write a paper. I often wonder why these activities become so important the moment I do something that is creative.
How did the cupcakes turn out?