“I write only when inspiration strikes… thankfully it strikes every morning at 9am sharp” - Somerset Maugham
We all have the same 24 hours and yet, even people with same level of intelligence and opportunities vary so much when it comes to accomplishments.
Turns out that the only thing common (apart from 24 hrs in a day) across all of us is that we face the same resistance and ones who actually move forward are those who manage to have conquered the war against resistance.
We all have two lives
We all have two lives: the life we live and ‘the unlived life’. What stands between the two is the Resistance. The unlived life is everything you dream for, everything you wish you could tackle, everything you hope to accomplish.
If you’ve ever bought a treadmill that’s now gathering dust, you know what the Resistance is : Steven Pressfield.
War against resistance.
Whether one participates in this war defines if you are pro or an amateur artist (artist, in this context means anyone who is involved in the art of creation - as an entrepreneur, leader, engineer, marketer or any other role).
At age 75, legendary actor Henry Fonda still used to throw up each night before a stage performance! But once the first step on stage was taken, the nerves seemed to disappear!
He too faced resistance, but he kept moving forward.
Being fearful is just fine. Everyone is.
The amateur plays for fun. The professional plays for keeps. To the amateur, the game is his avocation. To the pro it’s his vocation. The amateur plays part-time, the professional full-time.
The amateur is a weekend warrior. The professional is there seven days a week.
Sharing 5 key atomic ideas from the book ‘The War of Art’ by Steven Pressfield.
Recognize Resistance
Resistance: the inner force that sabotages our dreams
Resistance makes us avoid sitting down to start working. It makes us feel paralyzed about sharing our work with the world. It blocks us from finishing projects we’ve been working on forever.
Resistance is a universal phenomenon of the human psyche. Everyone experiences it. Resistance’s sole object is to prevent you and me from becoming concert pianists, writing bestselling novels. [Steven Pressfield]
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