I wrote in the War of Art that I could divide my life neatly into two parts: before turning pro and after. After is better. Steven Pressfield More Quotes by Steven Pressfield More Quotes From Steven Pressfield Are you paralyzed with fear? That’s a good sign. Fear is good. Like self-doubt, fear is an indicator. Fear tells us what we have to do. Remember one rule of thumb: the more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it. Steven Pressfield self doubt motivational Don't cheat the world of your contribution. Give it what you've got. Steven Pressfield honesty inspirational giving 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. Steven Pressfield never-forget destiny moments Turning pro is a mindset. If we are struggling with fear, self-sabotage, procrastination, self-doubt, etc., the problem is, we’re thinking like amateurs. Amateurs don’t show up. Amateurs crap out. Amateurs let adversity defeat them. The pro thinks differently. He shows up, he does his work, he keeps on truckin’, no matter what. Steven Pressfield adversity procrastination struggle Don't prepare. Begin. Our enemy is not lack of preparation. The enemy is resistance, our chattering brain producing excuses. Start before you are ready. Steven Pressfield preparation brain enemy Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance. Steven Pressfield resistance life two In the hierarchy, the artist faces outward. Meeting someone new he asks himself, What can this person do for me? How can this person advance my standing? In the hierarchy, the artist looks up and looks down. The one place he can't look is that place he must: within. Steven Pressfield meeting-someone artist looks When a warrior fights not for himself, but for his brothers, when his most passionately sought goal is neither glory nor his own life's preservation, but to spend his substance for them, his comrades, not to abandon them, not to prove unworthy of them, then his heart truly has achieved contempt for death, and with that he transcends himself and his actions touch the sublime. That is why the true warrior cannot speak of battle save to his brothers who have been there with him. The truth is too holy, too sacred, for words." -Suicide (Gates of Fire) Steven Pressfield brother suicide heart Our job in this lifetime is not to shape ourselves into some ideal we imagine we ought to be, but to find out who we already are and become it. Steven Pressfield destiny shapes jobs The amateur has a long list of fears. Near the top are two: Solitude and silence. The amateur fears solitude and silence because she needs to avoid, at all costs, the voice inside her head that would point her toward her calling and her destiny. So she seeks distraction. The amateur prizes shallowness and shuns depth. The culture of Twitter and Facebook is paradise for the amateur. Steven Pressfield destiny motivational two 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. Steven Pressfield warrior artist believe Look in your own heart. Unless I'm crazy, right now a still small voice is piping up, telling you as it has ten thousand times, the calling that is yours and yours alone. You know it. No one has to tell you. And unless I'm crazy, you're no closer to taking action on it than you were yesterday or will be tomorrow. You think Resistance isn't real? Resistance will bury you. Steven Pressfield crazy real motivational The most important thing about art is to work. Nothing else matters except sitting down every day and trying. Steven Pressfield positive-thinking writing art The more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it. Steven Pressfield new-beginnings scared calling We are all warriors. Each of us struggles every day to define and defend our sense of purpose and integrity, to justify our existence on the planet and to understand, if only within our own hearts, who we are and what we believe in. Steven Pressfield struggle integrity believe The more you love your art/ calling/ enterprise, the more important its accomplishment to the evolution of your soul, the more you will fear it and the more Resistance you will experience facing it. Steven Pressfield accomplishment love-you art We fear discovering that we are more than we think we are... That we actually have the guts, the perserverance, the capacity... because, if it's true, then we become estranged from all we know. Steven Pressfield perserverance capacity thinking The more fear we feel about a specific enterprise, the more certain we can be that that enterprise is important to us and to the growth of our soul. Steven Pressfield growth important soul The professional dedicates himself to mastering technique not because he believes technique is a substitute for inspiration but because he wants to be in possession of the full arsenal of skills when inspiration does come. The professional is sly. He knows that by toiling beside the front door of technique, he leaves room for genius to enter by the back. Steven Pressfield skills inspiration believe Resistance in my experience always kicks in when you're trying to move from a lower level to a higher level or to identify with a braver part of yourself or your higher nature. So it's that negative repelling force. It's kind of the dragon that we have to slay every day if we're artists or entrepreneurs. Steven Pressfield dragons artist moving
