i thought do the work was good.
then when i heard this guy is Seth's mentor... i ordered War of Art
holy cow.
some quotes:
- yielding to the resistance deforms our spirit
- how many of us have become drunks and drug addicts, developed tumors and neuroses, succumbed to painkillers, gossip, and compulsive cell-phone use, simply because we don't do that thing that our hearts, our inner genius, is calling us to? resistance defeats us. if tomorrow morning by some stroke of magic every dazed and benighted soul woke up with the power to take the first step toward pursuing his or her dreams, every shrink in the directory would be out of business. prison would stand empty. the alcohol and tobacco industries would collapse, along with the junk food, cosmetic surgery, and infotainment business, not to mention pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, and the medical professions from top to bottom. domestic abuse would become extinct, as would addiction, obesity, migraine headaches, road rage, and dandruff.
- 70-80% of people dr's see - has nothing to do with health issues
- any act that rejects immediate gratification in favor of long-term growth, health, or integrity elicit the resistance
- the resistance wants to kill, but it doesn't know us personally
- we can use this as a compass - fear is a good sign
- the resistance feeds off our fear - so it does all it can to let us think we're resisting because of fear.. rationalizing is a friend of the resistance
- you could turn the tables this very second.. up to you
- we're wired for community, so not comfortable being alone - we're never alone.. we have the muse of our art
- self doubt can be your ally - the counterfeit innovator is wildly self-confident
- the athlete plays hurt, we can't wait for healing, or from being a victim. the part we imagine needs healing is not the part we create from. the part we create from can't be touched by anything our parents did or society did
- the part that needs healing is our personal life, but personal life has nothing to do with work.
- resistance loves healing - he knows it will distract you
- rationalizations could be true - but they mean diddly
- amateurs don't love the game enough, pro doesn't mean you're getting money - it means you've sold out to doing what you love 24/7
- the pros core is bullet proof, nothing can touch it unless he lets it
- he separates self from art [i hear Elizabeth Gilbert talking..]
- resistance wants us to cede sovereignty to others. it wants us to stake our self-worth , our identity, our reason for being, on the response of others to our work. resistance knows we can't take this. no one can.
- pro knows limitations.. hires out jobs
- the most important thing about art is work. nothing else matters except sitting down every day and trying.
it's paperback. it's a fast read.
i'm thinking it's a lab staple. a first read even.
