Resistance

I like books. I read a lot of them. Right now I’m in the middle of about 10 different books. Yes, I know, I have attention span issues. Right now I’m 40 pages from the end of “the Historian” by Elizabeth Kostova. It’s a cool book about vampires, Dracula, and history. Long fucker though…almost 700 pages. Sam made me buy it. We were at the local Barnes & Noble and he thought that I should buy it, just because he was. I acquiesced and am now almost finished with the book. It’s been a great read. Of course Sam hasn’t even started it yet. Jackass.

I’ve recently completed “The War of Art” by Steven Pressfield. Great book. It’s about giving yourself a kick in the ass to get things done. Well, to really work on the things that are important to you. We all have them I think. The desire to write a book/novel, start a business, start a creative enterprise, become a painter, become a musician, run a marathon, or simply to make your life about something bigger than getting up and going to a job every day.

The War of Art talks about what keeps us from doing those things that are important to us. Pressfield calls it Resistance. “Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance.” Pressfield goes on to say, “You know, Hitler wanted to be an artist. At eighteen he took his inheritance, seven hundred kronen, and moved to Vienna to live and study. He applied to the Academy of Fine Arts and later to the School of Architecture. Ever see one of his paintings? Neither have I. Resistance beat him. Call it overstatement but I’ll say it anyway: it was easier for Hitler to start World War II than it was for him to face a blank square of canvas.”

I, fortunately or unfortunately (I can’t figure out which), am prone to these lofty goals and ideas. It seems like every few months I come up with a new one. Write a funny book about law school, write a book of essays, write an essay, become a better musician, transcribe and do an arrangement of one of my mother’s songs, record a CD, start a record label, start a music camp with special programs for underprivileged kids, go to seminary, complete a ½ Ironman, climb some giant mountain, eat better, run daily...

How many of those goals have I completed? You guessed it – 0, none, zip. I’ve gotten a damned good start on some of them. I started a great essay about the intersection of humanity and technology. Did I ever finish it? No, in fact I lost the draft. I have half of my business plan drafted for my record label, potential artists, industry help, but… The list goes on. I start but can’t seem to complete these ideas, goals and dreams. I guess that when I encounter Resistance I don’t push myself through it, rather I find the next great idea that I want to be a part of.

So why write this? Maybe if I acknowledge that I am prone to falter when I encounter Resistance I can beat it. So – here is my line in the sand. I will pick a goal and finish it. The record label will go forward. It may not be a success, but I will give it my best effort. I will not succumb to Resistance again.