#thewarofart

Remember, Resistance wants us to cede sovereignty to others. It wants us to stake our self-worth, our identity, our reason-for-being, on the response of others to our work. Resistance knows we can't take this. No one can.

The Creator blows critics off. They don't even hear them. Critics, they remind themselves, are the unwitting mouthpieces of Resistance and as such can be truly cunning and pernicious. They can articulate in their reviews the same toxic venom that Resistance itself concocts inside our heads. That is their real evil. Not that we believe them, but that we believe the Resistance in our own minds, for which critics serve as unconscious spokespersons.

I need to put a question out there for people. I recently read The War of Art by Steven Pressfield (and by recently I mean this morning...the whole thing) and I completely agree with him. I despise higher education and the whole system. I don't want to be in college; I want to be pursuing my dream. I’m one hundred percent in love with the risk, the freedom, the style, the difficulties, the benefits. 

Here’s my problem and maybe you can help. I don’t know exactly what my passion is. I enjoy writing, filming, drawing, dancing, singing, guitar-ing, conlanging, reading, thinking, creating, experimenting. I really do. But, it is so many things. How do I chose which passion I pursue? I’m willing to risk it all, but I have nothing that I’m risking on. 

This morning I woke up around 5:30 A.M, maybe a little later. I tried falling back asleep, but–like usual–I didn’t. So, I finally mustered up the willpower to do what Francis Pedraza always told me to do. I read The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. Read the whole thing. I finished at 9:30 A.M and wow those four dollars were worth it.

Steven talked about overcoming “Resistance.” Resistance is that evil, sinful laziness inside of you which keeps you from working throughout the day. It’s that little voice telling you, “you cannot do it,” or “you’ll never succeed so stop trying.”

Resistance is every excuse and reason that keeps you from achieving you dream. From pursuing your passion!

And to summarize Pressfield’s main point: stop letting resistance win. Get your work done. Resistance will always be there, creeping over your shoulder and telling you it is impossible or futile to pursue your dream. “You’ll never make any money,” or “they’ll say your stupid,” or “you’ll just get rejected,” or “your friends won’t be your friends.” But, you know what? To hell with those falsehoods! You can make money. You are not stupid. You will be rejected, but not forever. Not if you keep trying. And if your friends reject you, then they are not your friends and through the process you’ll find better ones. 

The most pernicious aspect of procrastination is that it can become a habit. We don't just put off our lives today; we put them off till our deathbed.

Never forget: This very moment, we can change our lives. There never was a moment, and never will be, when we are without the power to alter our destiny. This second we can turn the tables on Resistance.

This second, we can sit down and do our work. -Steve Pressfield