The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles

The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles

By Steven Pressfield

Type: Nonfiction

Overview:

The War of Art is a powerful book that literally zeroes in on your Resistance and fires SABO rounds at the blocks to your creative pursuits.  I guess you can expect no less from a former U.S. Marine.  At a short 165 pages, the book is small but it packs a mean punch at all of the excuses that we tend to use when we don’t want to get busy doing the work we are supposed to be doing.  I wish that I would have found this book sooner, it would have helped me overcome some of my own creative blocks to include finishing many book projects that I have started and pursuing all sorts of business ventures where I eventually allowed resistance to stop me dead in my tracks.

My Reactions:

If you want to understand how to overcome resistance, you need to get this book.   This is one of those books that I will read again and again, because I suspect that just like other great books, each time I read it, I will probably get different insights that I can apply to my life.  I also intend to purchase this one for family members as well.

Bottom-line:

Mr. Pressfield starts out by defining resistance and believe me, if you are a creative person, you will find something in his list that resonates with you.   From pursuing your calling in life, to dieting and exercise, to starting entrepreneurial ventures, to obtaining further education, or even to spiritual development.

Mr. Pressfield identifies resistance as the enemy; an enemy that you have to be prepared to wage war against on a daily basis if you intend to pursue your calling.  According to Mr. Pressfield, resistance has the following characteristics. Resistance (is)

• Invisible
• Internal
• Insidious
• Implacable
• Impersonal
• Infallible
• Universal
• Never sleeps
• Plays for keeps
• Fueled by fear
• Only opposes in one direction
• Is most powerful at the finish line
• Recruits allies

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who has ever tried to succeed at anything, yet failed or to anyone who has been too afraid to take the leap of faith in following their purpose in life.  If you have ever procrastinated, made excuses, put something off, hesitated or any number of other resistance tactics that people practice, it is probably addressed in this book.

This is the type of book that you need to read over and over again to remind yourself of the enemy’s tactics and to rearm yourself for the daily battle against resistance.  This war is different because, unlike real war, this enemy can never be conquered or defeated. He comes back every day ready to fight you again and again.  Every day you have to man up, put your gear on, pickup your weapon, and go fight the good fight against resistance in order to do what you were sent here to do.

As if The War of Art was not enough of a kick in the pants, Mr. Pressfield’s follow up book, Turning Pro is a siren call to make the move from being an amateur to being a professional.   This powerful, blue-collar message inspires you to grab your lunch pail, hard hat, and thermos of coffee and head off to work – rain, sleet, or shine.  You have a job to do and you do it, because you are a professional.  I am currently reading Turning Pro and I will post a review when I have finished reading it.  For more reviews and additional information about the book, click the picture of the book above; it will take you to Amazom.com and…yes, I am an Amazon Affiliate.  Thanks.

Take care and be blessed,

Vernon