Achieving Personal Goals

 

Anyone who has ever tried to achieve a goal understands what the idea of Resistance is. Resistance is that voice, thought or idea we get that says “it can wait until tomorrow” or “you really don’t need to lose weight” or “aw, go ahead and take today off”.

Resistance will put fear in your heart if that will slow you down, or tell you you’re just not capable if that’s what it takes.

Resistance is … in short … a goal killer.

I bought a book on CD last week titled “The War of Art” by Steven Pressfield. I’ve been listening to it to and from work, and it’s the best new thing I’ve picked up in months and is so good I had to write a page about it. The book deals with the subject of Resistance, and it’s the most spot on expression of thoughts and ideas I’ve heard about what holds so many of us back from achieving our goals.

 

Mr. Pressfield is a former Marine who struggled for 17 years as an aspiring (and starving) writer until he finally broke through in 1995 with the screenplay of “The Legend of Bagger Vance”. He’s written several popular fiction titles since then, but “The War of Art” is a non-fiction book that I suspect he felt he had to write to discuss how he dealt with Resistance.

 

I think the thing I found so valuable is that the better I can identify the enemy, the more I understand how he works against me, the better equipped I am to deal with him.

 

The following are examples of what Mr. Pressfield says elicits Resistance:

1. Pursuit of any calling in any creative art
2. The launching of any entrepreneurial venture or enterprise, for profit or otherwise
3. Any diet or health regimen
4. Any program of spiritual advancement
5. Any activity whose aim is tighter abdominals
6. Any effort designed to overcome an unwholesome habit or addiction
7. Any act of political, moral or ethical courage

So I am writing this page to recommend that you get a copy of the book or the CD set. It’s less than $10 in print (CD’s were a little more), and it will give you knowledge and perspective that will serve you well in your pursuit to realize your gifts and talents.

 

I guess we all know that achievement and reaching a goal is by definition a struggle. We’re constantly tempted with immediate gratification, easy solutions and excuses to put things off. While that’s not exactly great news, it seems to me it’s fact (ask Tiger Woods how things are going for him right now), and the best advice for dealing with it is to be fully aware and face it straight on. I wish I could articulate the idea as well as Pressfield does.

 

To quote the Dali Lama: “The enemy is a really good teacher.”

 

As I’ve mentioned in my Disclosure and on several pages, I get a buck or two if you purchase the book through this link (the book image just above), which helps support this site. That has nothing to do with why I’m recommending the book, I’d give away copies if I could.