Brian Gubernick explores Steven Pressfield's concept of resistance, the internal force that feeds self-doubt and procrastination. He traces it to survival instincts that once protected us but now block modern achievement. Three ways to beat it: recognize it, build daily habits that don't rely on willpower, and show up every day even without inspiration.
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Thank you for joining me today. It's Brian Gubernick, and welcome to the No Days Off podcast, where we believe that every single day brings a new opportunity to get better. Let's get into today's topic. Today I'd like to discuss the concept known as resistance. Resistance. It's discussed in a book by a gentleman named Steven Pressfield, and the book is called The War of Art. It's one of my favorite books. It's a short read. If you're looking for a quick read around this particular concept, pull that book up. But let's talk about resistance and what, what Steve's really talking about in the book. What is resistance? See, according to Steve, resistance is this, this force that opposes us whenever we're trying to pursue growth or creative endeavors or any sort of positive change in our lives. It's this internal voice that's telling us maybe we're not good enough, or we should tap out, we should give up, that maybe we should procrastinate, or we should wait until the weather's better, or we have more energy, or whatever it may be. Maybe we're more prepared. Bottom line, resistance is kind of like this, this unseeable, or unseen I should say, force that stops us from what we're doing. And why is this important? Well, with this No Days Off movement, we're trying to get better at something every single day. And when you're doing that, when you're aspiring to do more, to grow, to change, this resistance is what stands in our way. This is what's stopping us from making those positive steps towards change. Resistance takes lots of different forms. It can manifest in a variety of ways. It could be procrastination, it could be fear of failure, it could be self-doubt, it can be even fear of success. It's that voice in our head that's telling it— telling us maybe we're not talented enough, or we're not good enough, or we don't deserve it. And again, it stops us from achieving our goals. So Why does this resistance even exist? Well, Pressfield, he believes this resistance is a natural part of the growth process. Whenever we try to do something new or something challenging, our mind and our body will resist this change, and this resistance is actually part of evolution, right? Like if you go all the way back in time, all the way back to the Neanderthal days, right? You had resistance to actually protect yourself, to survive as a species. See, our ancestors, we needed to be super cautious and avoid unnecessary risks just to stay alive. We avoided change just to stay alive. So in some regard, resistance is hardwired. But in today's world, we don't really need that hardwiring anymore. Resistance can actually be more of a hindrance than it is a help. And if we let it control us, it stands in the way of us making progress every single day. It stands in the way of us reaching our full potential. So Pressfield believes that the key to overcoming resistance is to really first start by recognizing what it is. It's just a natural blocker in the growth process, and we have to push through it. By any means necessary, we have to push through it. One of the ways to push through resistance is to form habits. It's to form a daily routine. It's to form a practice. In other words, create this routine and make it easier for ourselves to get started. Stop thinking so much and just start doing. So put the models in place, put the systems in place, reduce the amount of willpower necessary, the amount of motivation necessary to muster up and to take action, just reduce that by creating a routine and a habit, and it allows you to just get into it, right? Routine can be as simple as setting aside maybe a certain time of day to do the work, or maybe it truly does involve more elaborate rituals. Whatever the case, if you set up some sort of plan, you don't need to muster the willpower. Another way to overcome this resistance is to embrace this, the simple idea of of just showing up. See, Pressfield believes that simply showing up every single day, even when we don't feel like it, it's the key to overcoming resistance. Pressfield was an author. This book was originally written for authors to, to read and become more creative or push through their own resistance. And what he would say, or what he says in the book to many of the authors out there, you don't have to have the answers. You don't have to know exactly what you're gonna write each day. but you do have to sit down in front of that typewriter or in front of that computer. Just go there and show up and inspiration will find you. Over time, this sort of consistent effort can help us build a momentum, can help us overcome the resistance that's likely holding us back. So in conclusion, I want you to recognize we all deal with resistance. We all have to overcome procrastination at times. We all create or concoct reasons to not take action. We all make excuses. It's okay, you're human. But the strong, the best of the best, those that succeed, they push through this resistance. So recognize that it exists, mentally equip yourself to handle it, create routine and habit so you don't need as much willpower, and just show up. Just show up and do the work. And you'll push through that resistance. So your focusing question today, as we're wrapping up, what is it that you're looking to take action around, and how is resistance showing up for you? What are you going to do about that? How are you going to overcome that resistance? What's standing in your way? What steps must you take so that you can get past it and start your change, start that growth, like we do every single day here at the No Days Off Podcast. That's all I have for you today. Thank you for listening. Remember, every single day brings a new opportunity to get better. So let's get after it.
