The War of Art - BookClubFriday's #36
About the Author
Steven Pressfield is an author, novelist, and screenwriter. His books include The Legend of Bagger Vance, The War of Art (a must-read for any writer), and most recently, Do the Work. He was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, in 1943 and went on to graduate from Duke University in 1965 and the year after, in 1966 he joined the Marine Corps. In the years following, he worked as an advertising copywriter, schoolteacher, tractor-trailer driver, bartender, oilfield roustabout, an attendant in a mental hospital, fruit-picker in Washington state, and screenwriter. His struggles to make a living as an author, including the period when he was homeless and living out of the back of his car, are detailed in his book The War of Art. His books are recommended by many, including Ryan Holiday.
A little bit about the book!
The War of Art is a book about overcoming Resistance in your life and getting what you need to do, done.
It focusses a lot on the subject of procrastination, and the tools and methods to get over the hurdles of indecisiveness. What is nice about the book is how easy of a read it is. Each chapter/section is no more than a few pages long and more often just one page long. This technique is great because it allows you to really think about what Steven has written, and apply it to your own thinking.
In essence, what really stands in the way of progression, our creativity and smashing your goals is yourself. We are the only ones who are in control of our thought, emotions and actions. The toughest part of actually getting shit done is the build-up to executing that thing.
If I need to write my essay for my Economics deadline, the toughest part is sitting down in that chair and starting it. Not the actual process of doing it.
A great habit we can all foster is to get the most important things done first in your day. And really dedicate yourself to doing this.
Also, get the things we hate doing, done, right away. Doing this is an effective way of getting stuff done, and allowing you to move on and forget about the hassle of doing it. You can now focus on doing what you like, and in life, we have to juggle with the reality of both.
By forming these habits, it makes life easier for yourself, and you'll be surprised at how others will react to your conscientiousness.
Go Ahead and Be exceptional!
Buy the Book!
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Waterstones
The Bookclub
Ego is the Enemy, Ryan Holiday
The Wisdom Of Insecurity, Alan Watts
Tools of Titans, Tim Ferris
Homo-Deus, Yuval Noah Harari
Radical Acceptance, Tara Brach
Born a crime, Trevor Noah
How brands grow, Byron Sharp
Tales of modern Russia, Peter Pomerantsev
Stone Soup, Marcia Brown
How to get filthy rich in rising Asia, Mohsin Hamid
The Art of War, Sun Tzu
Why Bob Dylan Matters, Richard F. Thomas
On the Shortness of Life, Seneca
Not Fade Away - A short life well lived, Peter Barton
Blockchain Revolution, Alex and Don Tapscott
What I know for sure, Oprah Winfrey
Man's Search for Meaning, Viktor E. Frankl
Creativity Inc., Ed Catmull
Meditations, Marcus Aurelius
The Rational Optimist, Matt Ridley
What Makes Sammy Run? , Budd Schulberg
How to Develop Self-Confidence in Public Speaking, Dale Carnegie
How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie
As a Man Thinketh, James Allen
The Four Agreements, Don Miguel Ruiz
The Magic of Thinking Big, David J. Schwartz
The Great Philosophers, Edited by Ray Monk & Frederic Raphael
The Outsiders, William N. Thorndike
Invested, Danielle & Phil Town
The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight, Thom Hartmann
The Obstacle is the Way, Ryan Holiday
Zen Flesh, Zen Bones, Paul Reps
The Prince, Niccolo Maciavelli
Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill
Unshakeable, Tony Robbins
Hello @eldergill, thank you for sharing this creative work! We just stopped by to say that you've been upvoted by the @creativecrypto magazine. The Creative Crypto is all about art on the blockchain and learning from creatives like you. Looking forward to crossing paths again soon. Steem on!