Resistance is an ever-present force for creatives. Writers know it well: you stare at a blank page, find excuses not to write, and before you know it, a day has passed—resistance has won, and you haven’t done your work.
I’ve adopted a simple mental heuristic: whatever I feel the most resistance toward is exactly what I should be doing.
This holds true whether you’re writing, composing music, inventing products, or building companies.
Each morning presents a choice: cling to comfort or lean into the task that triggers resistance.
Instead of treating resistance as an obstacle, see it as a compass. Lean into it, and it naturally points you toward your most meaningful path—the critical path of creation.
The people who truly make remarkable contributions are those who consistently lean into resistance and use it to guide their work.