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 More Quotes by Steven Pressfield More Quotes From Steven Pressfield We fear discovering that we are more than we think we are. More than our parents/children/teachers think we are. We fear that we actually possess the talent that our still, small voice tells us. That we actually have the guts, the perseverance, the capacity. We fear that we truly can steer our ship, plant our flag, reach our Promised Land. We fear this because, if it’s true, then we become estranged from all we know. We pass through a membrane. We become monsters and monstrous. Steven Pressfield perseverance fear teacher Long-term, we must begin to build our internal strengths. It isn't just skills like computer technology. It's the old-fashioned basics of self-reliance, self-motivation, self-reinforcement, self-discipline, self-command. Steven Pressfield technology motivation self When we see others beginning to live their authentic selves, it drives us crazy if we have not lived out our own. Steven Pressfield authentic-self crazy self A child has no trouble believing the unbelievable, nor does the genius or the madman. It’s only you and I, with our big brains and our tiny hearts, who doubt and overthink and hesitate. Steven Pressfield heart believe children The difference between an amateur and a professional is in their habits. An amateur has amateur habits. A professional has professional habits. We can never free ourselves from habit. But we can replace bad habits with good ones. Steven Pressfield bad-habits habit differences The artist committing himself to his calling has volunteered for hell, whether he knows it or not. He will be dining for the duration on a diet of isolation, rejection, self-doubt, despair, ridicule, contempt, and humiliation. Steven Pressfield rejection artist self Ignorance and arrogance are the artist's and entrepreneur's indispensable allies. She must be clueless enough to have no Steven Pressfield clueless business believe The amateur tweets. The pro works. Steven Pressfield tweet The critic hates most that which he would have done himself if he had had the guts. Steven Pressfield critics hate done When we sit down day after day and keep grinding, something mysterious starts to happen... Unseen forces enlist in our cause; serendipity reinforces our purpose. Steven Pressfield unseen serendipity purpose 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. Steven Pressfield habit procrastination today Our enemy is not lack of preparation; it’s not the difficulty of the project or the state of the marketplace or the emptiness of our bank account. The enemy is our chattering brain, which, if we give it so much as a nanosecond, will start producing excuses, alibis, transparent self-justifications and a million reasons why we can’t/shouldn’t/won’t do what we know we need to do. Steven Pressfield preparation self giving We will have to choose between the life we want for our future and the life we have left behind. Steven Pressfield left-behind our-future want Those who will not govern themselves are condemned to find masters to govern over them. Steven Pressfield self-mastery masters If you were meant to cure cancer or write a symphony or crack cold fusion and you don't do it, you not only hurt yourself, even destroy yourself. You hurt your children. You hurt me. You hurt the planet. Steven Pressfield cancer hurt children There's a secret that real writers know that wannabe writers don't, and the secret is this: It's not the writing part that's hard. What's hard is sitting down to write. What keeps us from sitting down is Resistance. Steven Pressfield real secret writing The Principle of Priority states (a) you must know the difference between what is urgent and what is important, and (b) you must do what’s important first. Steven Pressfield priorities differences important Socrates demonstrated long ago, that the truly free individual is free only to the extent of his own self-mastery. Steven Pressfield mastery long-ago self A great trick that I learned having worked as a screenwriter for many years, the way screenwriters work, is they break the project down into three-act structure: Act 1, Act 2, Act 3. I think that is a great way to break down any project, whether it's a new business or anything at all. Steven Pressfield way years thinking Creative work is not a selfish act or a bid for attention on the part of the actor. It's a gift to the world and every being in it. Don't cheat us of your contribution. Give us what you've got. Steven Pressfield selfish creativity art
