Not Giving Up

A couple of years ago, I read the book The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. This week, I started to listen to the audio book for a little reinforcement of the message. What’s the message? How to identify and overcome our biggest enemy: resistance.

What exactly is this enemy called resistance? It is anything and everything that prevents you from accomplishing what you set out to do. This could be procrastination, addiction, or even that little voice in your head telling you to quit.

I have been fighting resistance all my life. Even when I didn’t know there was an internal war taking place, resistance was still fighting. And the little voice in my head telling me to stop, that voice has been the enemy’s primary weapon. I can usually see the manifestations of this weapon during any endurance training such as running, or rowing. That innocent small voice in my head is the opening salvo in a game of psychological warfare. It starts out small enough, but in time it will take over all my thoughts. It amplifies all the pains I am feeling, whether real or imagined. The ascents and the descents become larger than what they really are. Even a soft breeze blowing in the wrong direction becomes an insurmountable obstacle.

Resistance wants me to stop. It tells me that my goals, no matter how important or noble, can wait until I am better prepared. Gone is the sense of urgency. It would be better to pursue these things tomorrow. But there is no guarantee of tomorrow. If I give in today, how can I guarantee that I will not throw in the towel again tomorrow?

Every great story on the planet happened when someone decided not to give up, but kept going no matter what. –Spryte Loriano

The endurance training I do today is a test. If I can win against resistance here, where else can I win? If I can conquer with my mind the desires of the flesh, if I can keep going when everyone else around me has given up, will I not be able to succeed in whatever venture I choose to pursue? Overcome resistance, and we can finish our projects, obtain our goals, and even achieve our dreams. Overcome resistance, and we can win the war.