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Synopsis
The War of Art is a 2002 non-fiction book written by the American author Steven Pressfield. The book highlights the forms of resistance faced by artists, entrepreneurs, athletes, and others who are trying to break through creative barriers.
Who is this book for?
- Readers who are interested in persuasive and leadership oriented books.
- People who need to use persuasion to generate sales or inspire change.
- Anyone interested to learn how to use why to get desired results.
Meet the author
Steven Pressfield (born September 1943) is an American author of historical fiction, non-fiction, and screenplays.
The War of Art Summary
If you are afraid of what other people will think of you, you might never do anything. Instead, ignore that fear and focus on your talents and skills.
Maybe you had a dream of being a great person in business or your career choice, but you are frustrated that you didn’t reach your desired goal. Have you ever wondered why or Are you a victim of ‘resistance’ that deceives you that you may get rejected?
It is unfortunate that most people are hindered by the hindrance that comes from the fear of trying to do something seeking public opinion. Some people will have the desire to write or do a great thing in life.
Most of them will be worried about things that do not exist. They will ask themselves unanswerable questions which keep them away from trying.
Whenever you allow the resistant voice to speak to you, you end up feeling discouraged to continue with what you are following. It is therefore essential to resist the sounds or the challenges that appear to be present in the course that one wants to pursue.
Challenges are meant to be there. The only thing that makes them detrimental is when you focus too much on the problem and fail to focus on your desire or talent. You will not see the beauty in your skills and expertise. It is likely that you will end up in a dilemma.
The risks will appear more significant than your ability. When you consider the challenge and looks at it as a source of resistance towards going for their goal, there is an opportunity to get over them.
However, when you are not dedicated from deep within your heart, it is possible to be much more de-railed when you face the challenge. Becoming a victim of resistance is one of the predicaments that one may find themselves in.
It is important always to be courageous enough to handle challenges and be an overcomer other than being derailed by the fears.
Other people will always try to influence you, but your choice will be final. Make sure you make the right one for you!
Steven Pressfield helps you choose your way of life by giving you some of the best mechanisms to apply in ensuring intellectual and proactive engagement in all your undertakings. He will make you notice the areas where you have not placed essential emphasis.
A way of life of defines who you are. You cannot become what you have not set out to be. Your state is not a circumstance but a situation which you prepare in advance.
Steven Pressfield helps you become more advanced in the in your area of specialty. If you do not set the right path to follow from the beginning, it is tough to realign your life.
You might be able to do it but might take a very long time to do so. You are required to know the direction you need to make to move forward.
What shapes your life is the direction you take once you can make individual decisions in life. One of the challenges that people face knows what they want in life.
Steven Pressfield encourages the reader in the right way of gathering the courage to identify their desires in life. The source of inspiration may be from whatever one collects from the exterior but what you do with it matters a lot.
Your way of life is what makes use of what you gain from the external environment. As a user, you may be required to have an innate will to follow a given talent or given specialty.
Nobody can shape another’s life. Your life belongs to your, and you need to activate the power to become meaningful and to generate significance in your life. That is only possible if your will to have a desirable and enjoyable experience that you may have dreamed.
It is not helpful to forget your failures. You should remember them, think about them, analyze them and learn from them.
In this perspective, Steven brings out the antidote to rectifying your situation of missed realization of ambitions. He describes how ‘you do not always need time for healing’ when you can effectively reciprocate your shortcomings with a strong will to live.
There is a need always to ensure that you get time to prepare for the next move. It does not mean that you make contemplate on what you may have done and what you need to do towards doing the thing that you desire.
If one desires to write a book, noting the progress in writing the content for the book, taking time to heal means that you will generate content that has a flowing plot.
This kind of engagement makes it possible to have a progressive move in attaining one’s goals. The failure to contemplate may be very detrimental. A simple healing break may mean a lot in ensuring that one gets energized and becomes better in their continuous engagement.
Besides, the use of breaks is like a means of gathering better ideas. It is why there are lapses in between sessions.
That can be equated to the use of commercial breaks in broadcasting. The advocacy for the presence of breaks is something that one must internalize in ensuring they become better and better at every step of their career development.
The time for healing helps to understand already achieved level. That makes it able to note the shortcomings that they may have encountered. One can first deal with the deficiencies and being able to eliminate avoidable challenges and hence have a smooth way of dealing with the organization. Skill or talent must be well developed, and its application must be made in phases.
It ensures that the skills are well advanced. It makes it possible to have the ability well oriented to the field.
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“If you find yourself asking yourself (and your friends), “Am I really a writer? Am I really an artist?” chances are you are. The counterfeit innovator is wildly self-confident. The real one is scared to death.”
― Steven Pressfield, The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks & Win Your Inner Creative Battles
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