When it comes to following your dreams, one thing I have learnt is you have to treat it like a full-time job. Alongside that, there are many things that will be there to hinder your dreams including Resistance. Resistance is there, with its shiny procrastination and its comfy distractions, trying to prevent you from producing the work. But Resistance is full of s**t. There is nothing shiny or comfy about it. In fact, it’s our biggest enemy.

I find that the more creative the endeavour, the bigger the project, the harder it is to sit down and do. Everyone struggles with this, even the celebrated George R.R. Martin struggles with the Resistance to write, describing it as “writing constipation”. This leads us to easily become painters that don’t paint. Writers that don’t write. And creatives that don’t create.

This 'Resistance' has a goal to fill us with doubt. Telling us no one will like it or that it’s apparently already been done. It doesn’t want us to finish, because now it’s secure and undisturbed. And this is what happens when we let Resistance win even, just for a second. It will just start producing an infinite number of excuses as to why we shouldn’t, can’t, and must not do what we know we should do.

As artists, creatives, whatever we want to call ourselves, it’s our job to fight back against Resistance.

Tip: Start before you are even ready. Don’t think. Don’t look down. Just act. There is no time to research or reflect on your work... not until next week. Once you have committed to creating something the most destructive thing you could do is stop working. Keep working. Gather momentum, and fight through Resistance.

If an idea pops into your head, and you think “that would never happen” or “No, that’s way too crazy” carry on going. These are the ideas you want to keep. First drafts and rough ideas aren’t the finished product. Even if something goes wrong, or people don’t enjoy the work, it’s still better to be in the fight than to be a part of the crowd watching. Another thing to note is that Resistance isn’t bad.

Resistance can help point us to our true calling. The fear of starting can even be a sign that this is an important decision. I have found that the more apprehensive I am, the more Resistance I feel against what I am doing, the more fulfilled I will be when I get to finishing the project. When we beat Resistance, finish what we set out to create, played the last note or painted the final stroke, at that point we can look Resistance in the eye and say “until next time, motherf**ker.”