Do the Work summary

Introduction

Do the work by Steven Pressfield Overcome resistance to achieve your creative and professional goals Have you ever gotten stuck pursuing a task? You are unable to transform ideas into a finished product. Most of us find ourselves in that position far more often than we would like. When bringing our creativity to life, it can be almost impossible to get out of these ruts.

So, what exactly is this inner resistance that stops us from achieving our goals? And where exactly does it come from? These insights offer the help you need to identify the causes of resistance. Learn how it stops you from taking action.

Explore various techniques to overcome resistance. Get back on track and achieve your goals.

Identify Your Allies and Enemies

Identify Your Allies and Enemies. Identify your enemies and allies so you can more effectively get things done. Certain things help you move toward your goals. Others definitely get in the way.

Good music might motivate you to work out, for example. Your favorite television show might make you want to stay home. These are allies and enemies in your life. Ambition and self-awareness are the real keys to achieving any goal, but they are always under threat by a common enemy, resistance.

Resistance manifests itself in a number of ways. When you work on something meaningful with real passion, but find yourself bogged down by self-criticism and doubt, that is indeed resistance setting in. Any activity that requires a lot of energy and time can draw resistance. The more important an activity is to you, the more resistance you will encounter.

Acting was so important to Henry Fonda, for instance. He would throw up every time before he went on stage. This happened even when he was 75. He was already one of the most famous actors.

Passion and dedication are strong allies, but they are not the only ones. Traits that we tend to perceive as negative, like ignorance and stubbornness, can be allies too. This is especially true for artists and entrepreneurs. Such negative characteristics helped famous American aviator Charles Lindbergh accomplish extraordinary feats.

He had no idea how difficult it would be to fly for 33 straight hours. But his ignorance and stubbornness, along with his arrogance, made him believe he could do it. And he ultimately succeeded in his flight. He became the first person to fly solo nonstop from New York to Paris.

Stubbornness also helps you stay dedicated to your work, especially in difficult times. Steve Jobs was notorious for being stubborn. This was instrumental while guiding his company, Apple. It went from modest beginnings to great success.

Apple became one of the most successful tech companies.