Do the Work

by Steven Pressfield

any act that derives from our higher nature instead of our lower.

Resistance

can be felt.

energy field radiating from a work-...

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

Mine is fear of rejection or disappointing.

anything to keep you from doing your work.

perjure, fabricate, falsify; seduce, bully, cajole.

Resistance has no conscience.

then double-cross you as soon as your back is turned.

Its like I already know this. There is always someone better.

It doesn’t know who you are and doesn’t care.

It feels different. It feels very personal.

Resistance will unfailingly point to true North—meaning that calling or action it most wants to stop us from doing.

I fantasize that I can get behind it.

more important a call or action is to our soul’s evolution, the more

Hmmm.

Resistance we will feel toward pursuing it.

Everyone who has a body experiences Resistance.

So hard to imagine. Some people seem impervious to resistance.

Henry Fonda was still throwing up before each stage performance, even when he was seventy-five.

Never knew that.

the battle must be fought anew every day.

Thats a bummer because I am exhausted.

Resistance aims to kill. Its target is the epicenter of our being: our genius, our soul, the unique and priceless gift we were put on this earth to give and that no one else has but us. Resistance means business.

It did. It won 100%. Every day since then has hurt tremendously. It's first victory was in the pool. It just kept rolling.

Next to Resistance, rational thought is the artist or entrepreneur’s worst enemy.

Another hmm.

Bad things happen when we employ rational thought,

rational thought comes fr...

Ouch. It doesn't feel that way.

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.

So dang scary. Back to the pool it began. The memories and markers are clear in time. Even the brief months of success between the two.

as we are. They are invested in maintaining us as we are.

Or as they want us to be.

it’s because you sense inside you a second self,

Pretty much. And I didn't know thats what I was getting when I opened this.

unlived you.

How do we achieve this state of mind? By staying

stupid. By not allowing ourselves to think.

Hmm.

with our big brains and our tiny hearts, who doubt and overthink and hesitate.

We can always revise and revisit once we’ve acted.

Hmmm???Not sure on this one. I acted and regret.

Is there a spiritual element

to creativity? Hell, yes.

Our mightie...

is belief in something we cannot see, hear, touch...

Almost. For me there are essences.

I believe with unshakeable faith that there will always be something in the box.

4th hmmmm

Fear saps passion.

Assistance—is the sun.

our inhering genius and the hearts we love.

It"s mom loving Fitzgerald.

In other words, what we do and whom we do it for.

The enemy is Resistance.

The enemy is our chattering brain,

so much as a nanosecond, will start producing excuses, alibis, transparent self-just...

Courage begets more courage.

Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness.

that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too.

“Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and

magic in it.”

No underlining, no highlighting, no thinking or talking about the documents later. Let the ideas percolate.

I highlight and note all the time. Not a big percolator but maybe I am.

Let the unconscious do its work.

Right now. My book.

Research can become Resistance.

5 second rule

Later. Not now.)

The creative act is primitive.