Resistance and Excellence

A few weeks ago I wrote two posts regarding Resistance. Yes, Resistance with a capital R.  As I established in those posts, resistance strikes when we attempt to create something outside of our comfort zone. For me, it's making art.

I'm getting over it. Little by little, piece by piece, the resistance is waning. Resistance feeds on fear.  Fear that I'll make a fool of myself. Fear that others will think the art I produced to be abysmal. Fear that I will be seen as an imposter. Fear that I will see myself as a fraud, a wannabe artist.

These are all significant fears. However, as Steven Pressfield states in The War of Art: "the Mother of all Fears that's so close to us that even when we verbalize it we don't believe it. Fear That We Will Succeed. That we can access the powers we secretly know we possess. That we can become the person we sense in our hearts we truly are."

I'm still digesting this idea. It hasn't fully infiltrated my brain. Why wouldn't we want to be successful?

Mr. Pressfield believes "...if we embrace our ideals, we must prove worthy of them. And that scares the hell out of us."

It's beginning to make a tad more sense to me now. Still, I want to be better, do more both for myself and others. I want to achieve excellence. Not perfection, that's not even possible or desirable.

Chadwick Boseman, the hero in Black Panther and portrayer of several historical figures in recent films, not only made a number of movies in four years - but as we know now, he did it while undergoing chemotherapy and surgeries for colon cancer. He did not reveal any of this. He bravely and admirably continued on despite the pain and anguish. In addition, and perhaps, most achingly touching, he reached out to several children going through similar difficulties. He brought light and love to the lives of these patients. He made appearances to public events simply to delight and support others.

Chadwick wasn't resistant to accessing the powers he knew he possessed. He is a staggeringly brave example of Excellence. Excellence with a capital E. No resistance here. What a splendid and astonishing example of selflessness and courage and love.

xo