The War of Art
By: Steven Pressfield
4 out of 5
I’ve heard this is a must read for those undertaking creative endeavors. At the time of reading this book, I didn’t really have a creative outlet, and this website was only a faint idea. I did, however, find it to still be quite thought-provoking and inspiring. Now that I have this space, it’s even more-so.
Part 1 of this book is about personifying and recognizing Resistance, which is anything that distracts or detracts from us reaching our potential. Resistance is the force that stands between the currently life you’re living and the unlived life yet to be achieved.
One of the great things about “classic” books and what makes them “classics” is their message can be found applicable at any point in time; their not subject to trends or current events or things that time will wash away. The main point of this book is about becoming better or achieving greater, and how to deal with the obstacles to come. Pressfield notes that Resistance only appears when we aim to move from a lower plane of ourself into a higher plane. If your goal is to get stronger, you won’t find much Resistance going from lifting 250 lbs. to 150 lbs., but you’re also not moving in the right direction. Now, going from 250 lbs. to 350 lbs., that’s a different story, you may find your motivation waning. Maybe work has become “too stressful” or you didn’t get “enough” sleep last night or you’re all of a sudden “too busy”. The idea is not too shame, but to help you recognize that inner voice looking to pull your attention away from your goal. The tough part is that Resistance is an everyday occurrence, therefore it’s an everyday battle to reach into that higher plane.
The good news: the more Resistance, the more important the task. The more important the task, the closer you get to your greatest potential at completion.
Part 2 of the book is about combatting Resistance by “turning pro”. “Turning pro” is about fully committing yourself to whatever you’re doing—Resistance be damned! It’s about consistency, it’s not about partaking only when you feel like it, but especially when you don’t feel like it. I feel like it’s a strategy of statistics, the more time or opportunities you commit to something the more chances you have for learning, and improving, and producing something meaningful.
