The War of Art by Steven Pressfield (not to be mixed up with The Art of War – two very different books), is an excellent and easy read if you haven’t read it yet. The book is about internal obstacles to success and how to identify, defeat, and unlock the inner barriers of creativity. At the beginning of the book, Pressfield lists the top things we resist that include:
- The pursuit of any calling in writing, painting, music, film, dance, or any creative art, however marginal or unconventional.
- The launching of any entrepreneurial venture or enterprise, for profit or otherwise.
- Any diet or health regimen.
- Any program of spiritual advancement.
- Any activity whose aim is tighter abdominals.
- Any course or program designed to overcome an unwholesome habit or addiction.
- Education of every kind.
- Any act of political, moral, or ethical courage, including the decision to change for the better some unworthy pattern of thought or conduct in ourselves.
- The undertaking of any enterprise or endeavor whose aim is to help others.
- Any act that entails commitment of the heart. The decision to get married, to have a child, to weather a rocky patch in a relationship.
As a business owner, inventor, single mom… I have a long list of tasks that need to get accomplished and like you, I often resist the things that I don’t want to do for whatever reason or reasons I’ve come up with – some reasons are actually quite good, if I do say so myself. And, our recent Amazon Live appearance was something I resisted, but had to do.
Amazon Live is a new program that streams live videos right on Amazon’s homepage, as well as on listing pages of featured products. These live videos allow hosts to speak about products and demonstrate how they work. It’s similar to QVC, but instead of it being aired on TV, you’re streaming on Amazon. And, unlike QVC, there is no one prompting you or talking with you – it’s just you talking and demonstrating the entire time.
My resistance to participate in Amazon Live was mainly about starting from scratch and figuring it out. My team and I were excited about the opportunity, but starting something new can be quite the undertaking when you have a thousand other things that need your attention. I also resisted it because I wasn’t sure how it would work and how I’d do. I finally stopped resisting and picked a date and time and went for it. This was my first run and it was challenging – especially keeping the momentum going during a live presentation. Having zero interaction with anyone while talking about my product and myself for 15+ minutes wasn’t easy. My performance was far from perfect, but I know it will be better the next time. And even better the time after that. Breaking through my resistance barrier gave me a chance to try it, learn from my mistakes, determine what I want to change for the next one, and start planning for my next debut on Amazon Live.
In case you missed it, you can watch it here.
What are you resisting?
Shari, Co-Founder & CEO