I'm currently in the middle of a video project exploring how journaling can save your creativity.

I've been dealing with a lot of what Steven Pressfield calls Resistance which is why I'm making that particular video.

Resistance is all of the invisible forces that hold us back from making the thing–procrastination, perfectionism, self-doubt, judgment, fear and anxiety.

The cure, Pressfield tells us, is to stop approaching the craft like an amateur and to treat the creative process like a professional.

What does that mean exactly?

The amateur says they’ll start tomorrow. The professional sits down to do the work.

I still have a lot of work to get done to see this video through to its end but in the meantime, I thought I would share some journaling prompts I've been writing about to understand and overcome my own personal Resistance.

If you've been feeling stuck on a creative project then these prompts may help you gain the clarity you need to move forward.

1. What are you excited about right now?
2. What is holding you back from making it?
3. What has worked for you in the past?
4. What is something new you can try?
5. What does success look like?
6. What does failure mean to you?
7. What would you make if you knew you were the only person to ever see it?
8. What are your expectations for this project?
   1. What will your response be if the outcome differs from your expectations?
9. If perfection is impossible (and it is), the what does good enough look like?
10. What is the first or next step?

The last question is the most important one.

It can be easy to get overwhelmed when you're staring down a massive project with a thousands steps between starting and finishing.

But I've found by taking one small step forward the next step becomes obvious and managable. And sometimes when you don't know what the next step is, taking any step forward can end up revealing it.

A Chinese proverb I often return to is, "A path is made by walking on it."

One step in front of the other. That's all it takes.