Do The Work!

Recently on my family trip to QLD I picked up the book Do The Work by Steven Pressfield.

What a great little read! As the book suggests read it fast, then read it again and take notes. Then buy a copy for everyone else who’s stuck and push them to get to work as well. This is exactly what I did.

It's short, sharp and a powerful message for anyone who is embarking on a new journey, whether that be a creative pursuit, a new business or venture.

I picked up this book as one of my goals this year is to write my first book - bringing together my experiences, journey, thoughts and all things that I believe drive performance. A book that will share what I believe is the blueprint to find the best version of yourself………your beastmode!

Now that I've put it out there to everyone it needs to get done!

So what resonated with me in this book?

This book is all about overcoming resistance. Resistance is always there:

• Resistance is a repelling force. It’s negative. It’s aim is to shove us away, distract us, prevent us from doing our work
• Resistance will reason with you like a lawyer or jam a nine millimeter in your face like a stickup man
• Resistance is always lying and always full of s***
• Though it feels malevolent, resistance in fact operates with the indifference of rain…..When we marshal our forces to combat resistance we must remember this.
• The more important a call or action is to our soul’s evolution, the more resistance we will feel toward pursuing it.

This book walks you through Steven’s two tests of resistance and gives you a template and playbook to help overcome resistance using a number of principles and allies, to get the work done!

To overcome resistance we must enlist our allies:

• Stupidity
• Stubborness
• Blind Faith
• Passion
• Assistance
• Friends and Family

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Some of the quotes I love from the book are:

• “The enemy is our chattering brain, which, if we give it so much as a nanosecond, will start producing excuses, alibis, transparent self-justifications, and a million reasons why we can’t/shouldn’t/won’t do what we know we need to do.”
• “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” Marianne Williamson
• “A child has no trouble believing the unbelievable, nor does the genius or the madman. It’s only you and I, with our big brains and our tiny hearts, who doubt and overthink and hesitate. Don’t think. Act.”
• “Do you love your idea? Does it feel right on instinct? Are you willing to bleed for it?
• “Our greatest fear is fear of success. When we are succeeding—that is, when we have begun to overcome our self-doubt and self-sabotage, when we are advancing in our craft and evolving to a higher level—that’s when panic strikes.”

So if you’re embarking on a new endeavour I'd suggest picking this up to help focus you in for the journey ahead and to remind you to stay the course! It also has some simple, but effective templates/tricks & tips to help you get the work done.

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I’m looking forward to checking out additional books from Stephen but in the meantime………it’s time to get the work done!

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