Name: Do the Work
Rating: 4.3 (191 reviews)
Author: Steven Pressfield

What’s in it for me? Identify your inner resistance, and learn about how it can make you your own worst enemy.

Have you ever gotten stuck in whatever task you’re pursuing, unable to transform the ideas in your head into a concrete finished product?

Most of us find ourselves in that position far more often than we would like. When it comes to 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 does it come from?

These blinks offer the help you need to identify the causes of resistance and how it stops you from taking action. Explore various techniques to overcome resistance and get back on track, so you can finally make your dreams, ambitions and goals a reality.

In these blinks, you’ll learn

how aviator Charles Lindbergh was helped by his ignorance and arrogance;
why your enemy in the struggle to get things done might be you; and
why author Michael Crichton slept in hotels to save his marriage.

Identify your enemies and allies so you can more effectively get things done.

Certain things help you move toward your goals, while others get in the way. Good music might motivate you to work out, for example, while your favorite television show might make you want to stay home. These are the allies and enemies in your life.

Ambition and self-awareness are the real keys to achieving any goal, but they’re always under threat by a common enemy: resistance.

Resistance manifests itself in a number of ways. When you’re working on something meaningful that you have real passion for, but find yourself bogged down by self-criticism and doubt, that’s resistance setting in.

Any activity that requires a lot of energy and time can draw resistance. Actually, the more important an activity is to you, the more you’ll have to fight the resistance that acts against it.

Acting was so important to Henry Fonda, for instance, that he would throw up every time before he went on stage – even when he was 75 and already one of the most famous actors in the world!

Passion and dedication are strong allies, but they aren’t the only ones. Traits that we tend to perceive as negative – like ignorance and stubbornness – can be allies too, especially 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 hours straight, but his ignorance and stubbornness, along with his arrogance, made him believe he could do it.

And he succeeded: Lindbergh was the first person in history to be in New York on one day and Paris the next.

Stubbornness also helps you stay dedicated to your work, especially in difficult times. Steve Jobs was notorious for being stubborn, and this was instrumental while guiding his company, Apple, from its modest beginnings to becoming one of the most successful technology companies in the world.

Overcome creative blocks by confronting the enemies within you.

It’s normal to hit a block now and then when you’re working on something creative. Most of us lose confidence when this happens, but there are ways to overcome creative blocks.

When you hit a wall, stay calm and remember that it’s always possible to get past it. Recognize that there’s an enemy force that’s actively working against you and your dreams.

Finishing your work and overcoming fear and crashes make you stronger.

At some point in your career, you’re almost certainly going to face the Big Crash, a major obstacle you have to overcome. Perhaps your computer suddenly crashes and takes your unfinished novel with it, or maybe a major problem in your personal life pushes you off track.

You can’t predict when a Big Crash will hit, but when it does, remember: it’s just another problem, and you can get through it.

Key ideas in Do the Work