#11 Creating Your Life's Work (The War of Art & Turning Pro by Steven Pressfield)
Sep 29, 2023
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Steven Pressfield, author of The War of Art and Turning Pro, discusses the battle with our minds, resistance, shadow careers, destructive addictions, and the fear that holds amateurs back. He emphasizes the need to turn pro and offers strategies for overcoming resistance and pursuing our true calling.
Resistance is the force that holds us back from pursuing our true potential and understanding its existence is crucial for overcoming it.
Shadow careers and addictions can serve as distractions from our true aspirations, and recognizing them helps us gain insight into our fears and pursue our genuine passions.
Deep dives
The Battle with Resistance
This podcast explores the concept of resistance, which is the force that works against our desires and prevents us from making positive changes in our lives. It delves into the internal conflicts and contradictions that lead us to engage in behaviors that make us unhappy or stressed. The speaker highlights the importance of recognizing the existence of this force and discusses various forms it takes, such as the fear of failure, fear of success, and fear of being excluded from social groups. By understanding and acknowledging the role of resistance, we can begin to overcome it and pursue our true potential.
Shadow Careers and Addictions
The podcast episode also explores the concept of shadow careers, which are lesser versions of our true aspirations that we pursue out of fear or self-doubt. It emphasizes that these shadow careers often serve as distractions from the work we truly want to do. Additionally, the episode highlights the role of addictions as another form of resistance. It explains how addictions can be seen as encrypted messages from our unconscious, indicating that we are avoiding our true calling. By recognizing our shadow careers and addictions, we can gain insights into our fears and take steps towards pursuing our genuine passions.
Becoming a Professional
The episode introduces the idea of becoming a professional as a way to combat resistance. It emphasizes that being a professional is not merely a switch we can flick, but rather a lifestyle and mindset we need to cultivate. The speaker outlines the qualities and habits of professionals, such as showing up every day, seeking mastery, accepting failure and success, and endurance in the face of adversity. It also emphasizes the importance of not waiting for inspiration, but rather acting in anticipation of it. The episode encourages adopting a long-term perspective and staying patient in the face of resistance to achieve our best work.
Overcoming Resistance and Embracing Our True Potential
The podcast concludes by emphasizing the ongoing nature of the battle with resistance. It advises taking what we can get and staying patient on days when resistance is particularly strong. It offers encouragement to play for the long haul and not to get discouraged by temporary setbacks. By embracing the paradox that resistance is an integral part of the creative process, we can navigate through it and ultimately live up to our fullest potential. The episode concludes by recommending the books 'The War of Art' and 'Turning Pro' by Stephen Pressfield as valuable resources for overcoming resistance and doing our best work.
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(00:00) The Battle with Your Mind (04:44) What is the War of Art? (08:43) Where Resistance Shows Up (12:25) Resistance at the Finish Line (13:50) The Forms of Resistance (19:28) Support as Resistance (21:39) The Need to Turn Pro (25:10) Shadow Callings and Shadow Careers (27:31) Destructive Addictions (29:58) Fear and Amateurs (32:22) How to Turn Pro
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