Charlotte’s favorite quotes from Steven Pressfield’s book The War of Art
I have always loved the book, The War of Art by Stephen Pressfield. From the moment I read it, it was as if the man had been living in my head. Every word was a reminder of utterances I had rattled around in my mind. Oh yeah, and the poetry in his writing spoke to me in ways that made me wrestle mentally and within my soul. He wrote truths that were so eloquent and seeping with a spiritual understanding I couldn’t deny.
I would finally understand that years of self-sabotage were rooted in the internal resistance that resided in my mind. As well as had to confess to my own resistance to winning because I liked playing small because it was easy and it made everyone around me more comfortable. But Pressfield encouraged me to think of life’s endeavors as being professional and to forget about waiting for passion, a mysterious message or some other muse to dictate my productivity. Discipline was the turnkey to success.
The War of Art taught me that my destiny was in my control. If I used discipline as my guiding light, I would experience all the success and freedom my heart desired. And on that day, I chose me, I chose freedom and I chose my destiny.
Here are some of my favorite phrases from my favorite book, The War of Art.
Embracing your creative gifts is essential for living a fulfilling and meaningful life.
Ultimately, embracing your creative gifts requires a commitment to your own personal growth and development, and a willingness to embrace the challenges and struggles that come with it.
Resistance is the most toxic force on the planet. It is the root of more unhappiness than poverty, disease, and erectile dysfunction.
The professional knows that Resistance is an objective force, a universal constant, something that cannot be killed. But it can be confronted and overcome, in the same way that a river can be diverted from its course or a rock can be broken.
Resistance has no strength of its own. Every ounce of juice it possesses comes from us. We feed it with power by our fear of it.
Resistance is a force that wants you to do nothing. It wants you to give up, to give in, to quit.
The professional embraces her gifts, dedicates herself to becoming excellent at what she does, and then gives herself over to the work. She is the antithesis of the amateur.
The amateur believes he must first overcome his fear; then he can do his work. The professional knows that fear can never be overcome. He knows there is no such thing as a fearless warrior or a dread-free artist.
The more important a call or action is to our soul’s evolution, the more Resistance we will feel toward pursuing it.
The professional recognizes the power of his own gifts and uses them to serve the world. He is not in it for the money, or the fame, or the prestige. He is in it because he has something to offer, something that he alone can offer.
The professional does not wait for inspiration. He acts in spite of it.
The professional knows that discipline is the foundation of all progress. Without it, he is lost.
