Pressfield's War

I've just finished re-reading Steven Pressfield's War of Art for the third time. It seems I return to it every 12 months to give myself the necessary creative kick in the arse to get myself motivated and lift my self belief past the level of getting out of bed in the mornings. The War of Art is subtitled Break Through the Block and Win Your Inner Creative Battles and is divided up into three sections:

   1. Resistance - Defining the Enemy

   2. Combating Resistance - Turning Pro

   3. Beyond Resistance - Higher Realm

Pressfield's work had impressed me the first time round when I read it in 2009. Since then its been on constant loan to friends except when I'm re-reading it.  I had never really warmed to his third section on my first two readings. This reading I found the final section (where he introduces the idea of the Divine Muse) the most useful and the most challenging, with none of my previous reservations and hesitations. Lately, I have been feeling a little like Jesus' third servant in the parable where the money/talent is buried and the servant is called into answer for his inaction. Pressfield has helped awaken that sense of responsibility - so let's hope we see some more creative activity and actual physical production in the coming weeks/months.

I've also read Pressfield's earlier books - the golfing novel/movie Legend of Bagger Vance (which he tells the story of in this book) and his military/historical work on the Battle of Thermoplylae Gates of Fire, - both I found entertaining and challenging as well.  If you haven't come across The War of Art yet, seek the book out. Its a very easy read, large print and you should be able to work through it quickly. I'd recommend it to anyone engaged in any sort of creative work. If you're suffering from roadblocks and obstacles, Pressfield may be what you need to galvanise yourself into action.

Burn brightly, Pete

Quote of the Day

"If it's your job to eat a frog,
it's best to do it first thing in the morning.
And If it's your job to eat two frogs,
it's best to eat the biggest one first."

                                    - Mark Twain

Procrastinator's Corner 2

Bad joke! I really do have a problem with procrastination. For almost 20 years I worked in the advertising industry and often left tasks until the last minute. To some degree, it seemed to heighten the adrenaline and I seemed to function better in terms of creativity (or at least I thought so). In shifting over to teaching, things altered considerably. Expectations shifted and work was required  in more finished forms with a lot less tap-dancing to explain what was happening, and all to very tight schedules. So having got into a habit of procrastinating ("Where would advertising people be without the last minute?" a client once asked me), I now had to shift. Easier said than done!

I knew I had to change somehow, so I tried the usual things - TNT: Today not Tomorrow; Endless lists (which I ignored); 7 habits which worked for a few weeks but died eventually with its relentless paperwork. Finally I read Neil Fiore's book "The NOW Habit" which talked about the major problem I possess which is the fear of failure. Procrastination is a learned protective reaction to my fear of failure, pressures and feelings of being overwhelmed by situations. So for me its a process of self-talk and recognition of language where I replace my inner dialogues and shift my beliefs about my own abilities and self-worth.

Fiore has recently written another book which I haven't read: The Now Habit at Work. I'd recommend his first volume to anyone. Recently I discovered my 82 year old father-in-law reading my copy, acknowledging it had been one of his failings and the book helped him better understand himself. Neil Fiore - worth looking at.

Burn brightly, Pete

Procrastinator's Corner

One of my major problems in life has to be procrastination. I will delay things for as long as possible, or sometimes start things and leave them incomplete,