Notes from ‘Do the Work’

I recently read the book ‘Do the Work’ by Steven Pressfield, a continuation of the set of books, ‘The War of Art’ and ‘Turning Pro’ by the same author. It is a passionate piece of work, and again, while not as impressive as ‘The War of Art’, it is an ideal guide for writers and artists who want to build a practice, and finish what they start in the face of resistance.

A few lines from the book stayed with me and I made notes based on them. Here are the selected excerpts from the book that make good reading for writers and artists:

Resistance is a repelling force. It���s negative. Its aim is to shove us away, distract us, prevent us from doing our work.

Next to Resistance, rational thought is the artist or entrepreneur���s worst enemy. Bad things happen when we employ rational thought, because rational thought comes from the ego. Instead, we want to work from the Self, that is, from instinct and intuition, from the unconscious.

The deeper the source we work from, the better our stuff will be���and the more transformative it will be for us and for those we share it with.

Ignorance and arrogance are the artist and entrepreneur���s indispensable allies. She must be clueless enough to have no idea how difficult her enterprise is going to be���and cocky enough to believe she can pull it off anyway.

Once we commit to action, the worst thing we can do is to stop. What will keep us from stopping? Plain old stubbornness. When we���re stubborn, there���s no quit in us.

Our mightiest ally (our indispensable ally) is belief in something we cannot see, hear, touch, taste, or feel.

When we conquer our fears, we discover a boundless, bottomless, inexhaustible well of passion.

When art and inspiration and success and fame and money have come and gone, who still loves us���and whom do we love?

Start before you���re ready. Good things happen when we start before we���re ready.

Let the unconscious do its work. Research can become Resistance. We want to work, not prepare to work.

Do you love your idea? Does it feel right on instinct? Are you willing to bleed for it?

Figure out where you want to go; then work backwards from there.

Start with the theme. What is this project about? Your movie, your album, your new startup … what is it about? When you know that, you���ll know the end state. And when you know the end state, you���ll know the steps to take to get there. End first, then beginning and middle. That���s your startup, that���s your plan for competing in a triathlon, that���s your ballet.

Pay no attention to those rambling, disjointed images and notions that drift across the movie screen of your mind. Those are not your thoughts. They are chatter. They are Resistance.

Do research early or late. Don���t stop working. Never do research in prime working time.

Set forth without fear and without self-censorship. When you hear that voice in your head, blow it off. If your notion violates every precept I���ve set forth in these pages, tell me to go to hell. Do what that voice says.

Why do I record ideas the minute they come to me? Because if I don���t, I���ll forget them. You will, too.

Act, reflect. Act, reflect. NEVER act and reflect at the same time. In writing, ���action��� means putting words on paper. ���Reflection��� means evaluating what we have on paper.

Our job is not to control our idea; our job is to figure out what our idea is (and wants to be)���and then bring it into being.

I ask myself, again, of the project: ���What is this damn thing about?��� Keep refining your understanding of the theme; keep narrowing it down. This is the thorniest nut of any creative endeavor���and the one that evokes the fiercest Resistance. It is pure hell to answer this question.

Have that meeting twice a week. Pause and reflect. ���What is this project about?��� ���What is its theme?��� ���Is every element serving that theme?���

If you���ve got a head, you���ve got a voice of Resistance inside it. The enemy is in you, but it is not you.

What comes first is the idea, the passion, the dream of the work we are so excited to create that it scares the hell out of us. Resistance is the response of the frightened, petty, small-time ego to the brave, generous, magnificent impulse of the creative self.

The opposite of fear is love���love of the challenge, love of the work, the pure joyous passion to take a shot at our dream and see if we can pull it off.

The dream is your project, your vision, your symphony, your startup. The love is the passion and enthusiasm that fill your heart when you envision your project���s completion.

Resistance puts two questions to each and all of us. ���How bad do you want it?��� ���Why do you want it?���

The only items you get to keep are love for the work, will to finish, and passion to serve the ethical, creative Muse.

Fear of success is the essence of Resistance.

Slay that dragon once, and he will never have power over you again. Then get back to work. Begin the next one tomorrow. Stay stupid. Trust the soup. Start before you���re ready.

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