Equal and Opposite
We spoke last week about Resistance “coming second.”
We said that self-doubt/fear/procrastination/distraction/perfectionism etc. only arise in response to (and reaction against) a DREAM, i.e., the book we dream of writing, the podcast we want to start, the creative enterprise we dream of initiating.
There’s a corollary to this truth:
The degree of Resistance we feel will be EQUAL AND OPPOSITE to the power and importance of our dream.
Little dream = little Resistance.
Big dream = big Resistance.
The visual we cited last week was a tree in the middle of a sunny meadow. The tree (our Dream) inevitably casts a shadow (the fear/self-doubt etc. we feel to pursuing that dream.)
The bigger the tree, the bigger the shadow.
How does it help us to understand this? Because when we find ourselves feeling MASSIVE RESISTANCE to some creative project, we can be certain that that project is VERY IMPORTANT to us and to the evolution of our soul.
Big Resistance = Big Dream.
In other words, the worse we feel … the better.
Resistance senses that our Dream is important, that it’s critical to our development … so it marshals all its dark resources to stop us from pursuing it.
We can use that to encourage ourselves. The bigger the shadow, the bigger the Dream.
DO THE WORK
Steve shows you the predictable Resistance points that every writer hits in a work-in-progress and then shows you how to deal with each one of these sticking points. This book shows you how to keep going with your work.
THE AUTHENTIC SWING
A short book about the writing of a first novel: for Steve, The Legend of Bagger Vance. Having failed with three earlier attempts at novels, here's how Steve finally succeeded.
NOBODY WANTS TO READ YOUR SH*T
Steve shares his "lessons learned" from the trenches of the five different writing careers—advertising, screenwriting, fiction, nonfiction, and self-help. This is tradecraft. An MFA in Writing in 197 pages.
TURNING PRO
Amateurs have amateur habits. Pros have pro habits. When we turn pro, we give up the comfortable life but we find our power. Steve answers the question, "How do we overcome Resistance?"
Resistance uses its massive size to intimidate and scare us away from the holy arena of artists. It doesn’t want us anywhere near the ring of champions. So it frustrates or frightens us away from our calling. But if we enter the arena and stay just enough, Resistance will yield!
…I meant to say “stay just long enough”.
I hope that’s true but I suspect not. What do you do when it’s been ages and you can’t overcome it? What do you have to surrender in order to step out of the shadow and overcome it?
I’ve never heard of anyone not improving with practice. You will get physically fit if you diligently work out every day. You will learn to play piano if you practice daily for years.
As a contrarian, “the worse we feel… the better,” make me and my muse smile.
How do we get through it? We don’t. It has to get through us. Release everything that blocks it, from the core. Know you’re free of it. Get it out! Your project-your work. G-d, the source, or the Creator is working through you.
I suppose the object isn’t perfection. It’s release and set free. Try it and see what happens. Use that memoir as the catalyst to your freedom and trust your readers will like you even if it isn’t perfect.
I don’t think it’s possible to write for others. That sounds like a cheap sales tactic. A genuine artist writes to bring out their best qualities. A genuine artist doesn’t give a damn about who may like or dislike their art or writing!
Thanks, Steve. You may never know how many writers, artists, musicians, entrepreneurs, and enlightened humans you have helped on their journeys. Count this one. Your words of encouragement and insight help to push and pull me through the tough spots. May we all be able to give thanks and to pass on a blessing to others.
Jackie, I’m thankful for Coach, you, and everyone who takes a minute to post their thoughts on Writing Wednesdays. Whether you know it or not, you all have talked me off the proverbial ledge more times than I can count.
Same here Sam. Thank you.
It’s in that spirit I submit the most inspiring thing I’ve read lately — outside of Writing Wednesdays, of course 🙂
https://tim.blog/2024/10/01/elizabeth-gilbert-2-transcript/#content
I sometimes think that resistance cuts deep. It make it feel like you’re injured in some way. The I remembered a quote I heard…The light only enters through a wound.
So now I realize why I keep buying the supplies for the Dream: The paper, the books that counsel How-To, the new guitar, and “The War of Art”. Continually laying groundwork for the ‘someday’ that work will be ‘ready to begin”.
( deep sigh….). The microphone is lying here on my desk next to the TASCAM recorder for the last 2 months, and I am exhausted, I tell myself, from the surgery, the shopping, the cooking. It’s really from the accusation of the microphone, the TASCAM, the music rack….Thanks Steve, I needed that.
I agree 110%!
Really happy to read here that you’ve added to this Resistance tension idea from last week. I have been pondering it big time. Super helpful now to think in proportion. I so want to rightsize my potential.
Thanks, Steven.
Any place I could order copies of the tree photos for a little inspiration? Thanks
In my case, the biggest resistance that I was facing occurred before a few major events in my life. Before my first vision quest, before I was about to sell my apartment and embrace the uncertainty ahead of me, huge resistance appeared before I started to move my writing from morning pages to writing on my computer, registering my journey daily. Soon after selling the apartment, very strong resistance was present in me for a few weeks, if not months, before I finally decided to fly to Africa for the first time. As I reflect on them, in every case the solution and the way to overcome the resistance was to keep moving forward in small, daily steps. No matter which of those, committing myself and gradually taking one step at a time helped me to move through the biggest waves of resistance and discover what was on the other side of the calling.
Thank you so much dear Steve for reminding us.
Where we feel bad, concerning a dream, everyone felt bad. We all go through the same winds in our journey to Ithaca. The difference is the set of the sail.
I still have that vision, intuition, or whatever it is, that there is a way to overcome that bad feeling Resistance brings us. But I feel it’s something complex, diffricult to find. But it feels like it’s true and it’s like waking up after a good night’s sleep: flow. Flow. Not there though, no proofs from me.
P.s. I don’t remember if I mentioned it, a book that may be interesting. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, “Flow”.
Let’s go. We’re still not there but the light and the shadows guide us.
This article beautifully highlights a profound truth: the greater our dreams, the stronger the resistance we face. It’s a powerful reminder that the fears, doubts, and distractions aren’t signs to stop—they’re proof that what we’re pursuing matters. The metaphor of the tree and its shadow is particularly striking, showing how the size of our resistance reflects the significance of our aspirations.
The next time resistance feels overwhelming, we should embrace it as a compass pointing us toward growth and purpose. After all, the bigger the shadow, the brighter the light behind it. It’s not just a challenge—it’s a sign we’re on the right path
This article nails it: resistance isn’t the enemy—it’s proof that your dream is big enough to matter. The bigger the shadow, the brighter the light behind it. Feeling massive resistance? That’s your cue to push forward—it means your dream is worth it.