“Resistance is most powerful at the finish line.”
~Steven Pressfield, The War of Art
This particular chapter kicked me in the gut stronger than some of the others for the sheer truth of this statement. It’s a long one so I will summarize some of it.
If you can recall the ancient Greek story of the Odyssey, with the main character, Odysseus, traveling around the world for ten years trying to get back home to his wife and family. Every time he set out for home after some wild escapade, he ran into another adventure.
“Odysseus was almost home years before his actual homecoming. Ithaca was in sight, close enough that the sailors could see the smoke of their families’ fires on shore,” writes Pressfield.
What does Odysseus do? He takes a “snooze,” long enough for his men to lose it. They grab his sack, that they believed contained gold. But when they cut it open, they let loose the Winds, which were bottled up for him by King Aeolus.
These gale force winds were unleashed, sending the ships back across the oceans they had fought so hard to travel, causing Odysseus further trials before he finally reached home.
“The danger is greatest when the finish line is in sight. At this point, Resistance knows we’re about to beat it. It hits the panic button. It marshals one last assault and slams us with everything it’s got.
The professional must be alert for this counterattack. Be wary at the end. Don’t open that bag of wind.”
