Discipline: Fighting the Resistance

April 26, 2010 by rebecca 1 Comment

I am reading The War of Art, by Steven Pressfield. I think maybe everyone in the world who wants to do anything with their life should read this book. It’s a no-BS, wake up call to just get it done. Call the excuses what they are (or actually, he calls them “The Resistance”) and get on with it.

All of us have it – that thing/voice/block/weather/excuse/husband/wife/kids/job/country/REASON why we cannot finish, execute or sometimes even start what we know we are meant to be doing. So know it, and get over it. “Go Pro” as Steven says. Do what you need to do to do the work no matter what. A professional athlete doesn’t wake up one day and say, “hmmm, I don’t really feel like doing my training today…maybe tomorrow”. When you Go Pro, you stop finding excuses for not doing the work, and you Just Do It.

I am on my way home from an amazing weekend in Boston with my best friends from college. One of them just completed the Boston Marathon with an amazing, mind-boggling time (to me) – 3hrs and 12 minutes. On Saturday afternoon, many of them decided to go for a run. They went Pro. I came up with about 10 reasons why I couldn’t: I wanted to spend time with my friends talking. I was tired. I was still a bit sore from my PT workout (yes, still). I didn’t want to shower again. I’d rather drink. I am so far from going Pro when it comes to my fitness routine that it only took a feather to knock me off course.

So here I am, looking at my week ahead, knowing I only have 2 days in which to actually work out…the Resistance is Strong. It wants me to do other things during that hour and a half. But thankfully, I’ve already blocked the time out. Sacred. Scared? Sacred. Not movable. I will not let the resistance win – not this week.

Rebecca knocked the cover off the ball. She facilitated a session with my top management team to not only help us set our priorities for the year but also find ways to better work together and collaborate as a team including establishing some baseline agreements. The feedback I received from the team was terrific and I've already heard plans others have to use the tools she shared. The goals were lofty for the day, and there were some that doubted we could achieve all of our objectives in the session, but in the end we got to where we needed to get to as a team and laid a foundation for the year to come.

Laura Butler
VP of Talent Management & Chief Diversity Officer at Pacific Gas and Electric Company

Rebecca is a brilliant consulting partner -- who brings creativity, energy and high integrity to consulting design and delivery. I brought her into a very complicated situation and she just rose to the occasion with grace and with a strong desire to make a difference for the overall outcomes that we were setting out to achieve. I would highly recommend her for her work with innovation process -- especially when applied to areas of HR/Organization/Talent Management. 5 Stars!!"

Annmarie Neal
Founder - Center for Leadership Innovation

An absolute pro at listening, goal-setting, and drawing out the potential in others, Rebecca has a gift for helping people set and achieve their goals. As a change consultant, she relates to individual styles in order to achieve results - she works within a proven framework but adapts to different styles and comfort levels as needed. I've even seen her work with difficult and negative people and turn them around to achieve more than they thought possible. Anyone who has ever had the pleasure of working with Rebecca over the years as I have can testify to her energy, commitment, and ability to see challenges from multiple points of view so she can recommend a concrete plan of action that exceeds your expectations."

Maria Ross
Founder, Red Slice LLC

I have worked with Rebecca off and on for 7 years and would hire her in a minute if I could. She is extremely knowledgeable in the change management world and takes it from idea to implementation. She is extremely creative and focused on driving results. Her high energy, excitement and enthusiasm make it fun to work with her and bring another level of possibility in every project. She is insightful and knows what questions to ask when exploring issues or opportunities. She brings value to every interaction and as a result I try to find any opportunity to work with her."

Mary Beth Cozza
Former Vice President – Organizational Development and Internal Communications PMI Group

Rebecca is an enthusiastic and energetic partner in any business situation. She goes above and beyond the expected to pool her resources to get you results. I would work with her again in a second."

Nancy Dobbs Owen
Designer

I have had the privilege of working with Rebecca Rodskog in a number of capacities. As an employer at Accenture, Rebecca built partner relationships with clients that energized them to perform at a higher level. She understood the secret sauce of coaching is having the client’s eyes get bright when there’s a draw upon personal strengths and how to remove the pebble blocking their path. I have used Rebecca for personal coaching and it has been time well invested. The results from the time invested were tremendous. She knows the key attribute her coaching is focused on is business results. Her coaching services work across a practical, tactical approach and her coaching services go deep in pulling and drawing upon one’s inner reserves. She has a touch that draws clients to her continually."

Glenn Tobe
CEO Elliot Avenue