Overcoming Resistance & the War of Art

It’s dark here this morning. The sun must have risen already, but when I look through my windows, everything looks gray, which tells me we’re in for clouds today. I peek at my weather app and see we’re in for a winter weather advisory. Another one. We had full, bright sun all day here yesterday and temps warm enough so I could sit and work on the porch in the sun for hours. And I did. It was glorious. But today, something is making me want to hide until the sun comes back.

This is February — back and forth.

Showing us how glorious spring might be, then taking it all back in a flash. And not just with the weather. Also with our personal growth, relationships, creative projects, and life goals, too.

Can we take a moment to acknowledge that, for a multitude of reasons, February can often be the most difficult month of the year? (& thankfully, we’re over halfway through it.) Which can be particularly tricky when you’re trying to start something, grow something, take steps toward a big dream, make a big life change, or put something out into the world.

We need to know we’re not alone in this difficult month.

We need to know we will make progress again. We need to know we haven’t backtracked so far that it’s hopeless even trying now. We need to know the sun will come out again. Sometimes the only way through is to rest and wait it out. Sometimes it takes powering through and doing the work anyway.

Other times, it takes uncovering what’s hiding beneath the surface and holding us back.

That’s where I am this week. I have a brand-new big-dream-flavored creative project ready to put out into the world (a new book I’ve written for you). And for the life of me, I can’t seem to get it off of my computer and into your hands this month. I’ve waited it out and powered through until I can’t do either anymore.

I know there’s something holding me back.

One very specific thought that has been haunting my early mornings this month is this: “Why does self-publishing have to be so complicated?” There may even be a few four-letter words in there at this point, but I’ll spare you that. And here’s the worst part: It’s really not that complicated.

I’ve done it before, just a few years ago. A bazillion other people do it all the time. I actually even have cheat sheets and websites already saved to make it super easy for myself (and hopefully for others too one day). Which is a good indication that something else is the culprit, something else is feeling too hard these days, something that has nothing at all to do with birthing this book.

My gut tells me you can relate.

Right now, you might be trying to find time to work on a big dream, open your own businesses, travel in a big way, journal better, take better care of yourself, exercise more regularly, or even just read more books. And something always seems to be putting itself in the mix and holding you back before you get to the finish line.

I find it helps to name the thing when we can.

One thing holding me back right now — Resistance (the enemy within). I’ve been learning recently that resistance is something holding a lot of us back. It’s sneaky. It’s vile. It’s been holding me back for so long that I’m reading the “overcoming resistance bible” (The War of Art by Steven Pressfield) right now to help me beat it. It’s helping a lot. I’m still in the thick of it, but I can see the other side.

 

One more thing holding me back — Comparison (creativity kryptonite). This one really surprised me because I’ve done so much inner work around this. Still, every time I take another step closer to getting this next book published, I find Comparison right there telling me “Why even try?” or “This has been done before” or “They’re already doing it better than you—just stop”. But I know this happens to everyone.

Most people don’t share this part.

I find that a lot of creators, writers, artists, and humans in general don’t like to talk about what’s holding us back. We all want to look like experts at everything. If we can’t master it quickly, then we stop trying. And we certainly don’t ever want anyone to know how often we fight against ourselves. We never want to admit that we haven’t yet stepped into our fullest callings. I’m not that kind of creator. I believe getting honest with ourselves holds immense power. I believe that just by sharing this part of the process with you, I’m breaking through some part of what’s holding me back, and hopefully opening a door for you to do that too.

Maybe this time next week I’ll be telling you that I overcame those last few obstacles and there’s an author copy of my book on its way to my door. Maybe you’ll be telling me that you overcame a few obstacles yourself and you’re sitting in an entirely different place than you were today. I say yes to all of it.

For now, I wonder —

What’s something holding you back right now & what are you trying that’s helping you overcome it?

When you have a minute, don’t just think your answer—make it real and write about it. Put it in your journal. Scribble it on the back of a napkin. Or write about it in a quick email to me. I’d love to read this part of your overcoming story.

I’ll be right here with you.