Just recently listened to Stephan Pressfield’s book, The War Of Art twice while out in a long run…
Yup… Twice.
The first time through, I digested as much content as possible and then quickly realized I needed to go through it a second time.
Similar to As A Man Thinketh, this gem was filled with so many beautiful nuggets of wisdom, I felt like I needed to give it the royal Daily Hustle treatment…
The central theme of Pressfield’s masterpiece is RESISTANCE, which he basically defines as an eternal invisible force that keeps us from getting shit done.
RESISTANCE is internal and will tell us anything to keep us from doing our work… It knows what it’s doing, where it is going and it cannot be reasoned with. Oh yea, resistance doesn’t give two fucks where we have been, what we have done in the past or who we are.
Ultimately, resistance is fueled by fear, never sleeps and is most powerful at the finish line.
Resistance is a little bitch that recruits weak ass allies in an effort to impose its will… These are the dick heads that talk trash because they can’t stand seeing somebody live out their dream when their pathetic asses have never come close to living their own. Just as misery loves company, so does resistance…
The powerful question in all of this that Pressfield brings up, and we all want to know the answer to, is how do we counter resistance?
One of the main ways to combat resistance that he brings to our attention is by “going pro.”
Yet Pressfield isn’t necessarily talking about getting paid and making whatever it is your living, but he is talking about making it a lifestyle… He points out the irony that the amateur is the one who actually over identifies with their craft, while the pro maintains a rational, proper and often humorous perspective that their vocation is what they do, it’s NOT who they are…
“Resistance knows that the amateur composer will never write its symphony because he is overly invested in its success and over terrified of its failure.”
The amateurs are the ones that are overconfident and talk out of their ass, while the pro is the one that stays humble, recognizes their fears and then embraces those fears for all of their worth… The pro knows that fear is their friend and it is actually what pushes them to tell resistance to go fuck itself and ultimately allows them to get shit done.
Lastly, Pressfield makes the brilliant point that although the actions that we take may not change the world, they will change our lives.
Bottom line: Whatever it is that you are into, whatever it is that you are passionate about, quit procrastinating, quit the RESISTANCE and fucking DO SOMETHING about it.
-EB