It is 11:55 PM on a Friday.

I promised myself I would publish a blog post every Friday. For the last 48 hours, I have done everything in my power to break that promise. I spent two days in a fog of television and avoidance. I didn't go to the gym. I still coded, but I delayed client work. I drifted.

Steven Pressfield, in The War of Art, calls this force Resistance.

The Enemy Within

Resistance is the enemy within. It is the self-sabotaging force that rises up whenever we attempt to move from a lower level of existence to a higher one. It doesn't care about my feelings. It only wants to stop me from doing the work.

Pressfield says the difference between an Amateur and a Professional is simple: The Amateur waits for inspiration. The Professional shows up and does the work.

Amateur vs Professional

The Amateur in me wanted to wait until next week. The Amateur wanted to write a perfect, long-form analysis of the book. The Amateur wanted to hide.

But the Professional knows that "done" is better than "perfect." The Professional knows that the only way to beat Resistance is to sit down, face the blank screen, and type.

So this is my post. I am not waiting for inspiration. I am showing up.

I beat Resistance today. See you next Friday.