Fighting The Resistance & Fulfilling Your Dreams

A would-be entrepreneur whose family and friends are not supportive of her plans to open a consignment shop should stop talking about it to them, writes USA TODAY columnist Gladys Edmunds. Unless the naysayers have succeeded in the same kind of endeavor, the negative energy is not helpful, she says.

One of the best books on this subject is The War of Art: Winning the Inner Creative Battle by Novelist Steven Pressfield (The Legend of Bagger Vance; Gates of Fire). The book aims to help readers "overcome Resistance" so that they may achieve "the unlived life within." Whether one wishes to embark on a diet, a program of spiritual advancement or an entrepreneurial venture, Pressfield says that it's most often resistance that blocks the way. To kick resistance, Pressfield stresses loving what one does, having patience and acting in the face of fear.

He also talks about ignoring the nattering nabobs of negativism and fighting the resistance within and that surrounds you. For those thinking of starting a small business, I can’t think of a better book to read.