This book made my Top 10 list for 2013. If you haven’t yet read it, I highly recommend you get a copy, particularly if you want to accomplish something. Most people I know want to accomplish something — often many “somethings.”
If we afford ourselves the opportunity to get out of our day-to-day task mindset and allow our minds to roam and create, we often find better ways of doing things or new ideas or directions we want to try. This would fall into that definition of accomplishing something (or somethings).
Each of us has a unique purpose, gift or role to fulfill in our lives…those somethings we want to accomplish. Yet more often than not, our heads get in the way of actually doing the something that stirred our spirit or mentally stimulated us. We go into overthink and the excitement diminishes as we consider what we have to do in order to accomplish our something. Perhaps it’s too difficult, too challenging or what if we fail? The monster of Resistance, who you will meet in the book, rears its ugly head, stopping us cold.
We are easily discouraged by Resistance; we think of it as a sign, a message that we should not be attempting what we dream, what we dare. Resistance is simply our self-doubt challenging us not to be brave or not to change. You thought you were the only one with those voices of doubt and insecurity in your head? At a minimum, this book demonstrates that you are not alone. And if you share with others, as I am doing here, you will find a new level of awareness and understanding — allowing you to accomplish so much more.
So is there something you want to accomplish? Use this book as a guide to get you past Resistance and to deliver your project. I recommend both the book and the audio book. On your commute to work, the audio book is a great way to set the tone and prep you for the day. Narrated by the author, Steven Pressfield, you get the full impact of his words from his delivery. The book is great to keep handy when you feel the monster of Resistance sneaking in, a few pages of review of Do the Work! and you are on your way again.