
The War of Art
Brief Summary
“The War of Art” by Steven Pressfield is a compelling and thought-provoking book that delves into the challenges people face in their creative and professional pursuits. Unlike authors of traditional books on creativity or self-help, Pressfield takes a unique approach by framing these challenges as a formidable and ever-present enemy: resistance.
Topics
Key points
Key idea 1 of 8
We've all experienced the feeling of resistance. Usually, it comes as a hesitation. Do you remember dreaming of creating your own blog or starting a photography career? And you've held it back?
Well, that's what resistance was. The force that kept your dreams from becoming your reality. Introducing a new routine into your daily life usually involves fighting the resistance. It is mostly negative and stands in between you and unexpected changes. Imagine you wish to start an acting career. But that tiny voice deep inside you told you about all the possible scenarios where you'd fail. Aren't you really into acting? Well, resistance could find its way around. This voice would whisper to you to put things off until your deadline has already passed.
But don't worry, this feeling is pretty common. It affects everyone occasionally, and you can't hide from it. Whether it's an interest in helping others or doing better things for yourself – you may still feel resistant to those. It can affect people with a lot of experience as well. Henry Fonda, an actor, used to throw up before every performance he did despite his age. Even his accomplishments as an actor didn't help him being unbothered before heading to the stage.
Self-doubts, fears, or even putting work off are all part of the resistance. However, we can defeat them by turning our focus back to our goals and dreams. Stay true to your craft and accept the resistance to beat it to succeed. See it as a vital part of your life journey.
You may also like these summaries


Find full Audio & text of your favorite books in the AdvanceMe app!
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur.
Start your free trial