While War Of Art presents itself as a manual for defeating your inner critic and unleashing your creative talent, it is at the same time talking to entrepreneurs, anyone with a spark of innovation, and everyday people looking for a way to enjoy their time on earth to the fullest. No matter what your endeavor is, the secret to success is defeating internal resistance and silencing your inner critic.
Resistance Is The Invisible Enemy To Success
It can be a struggle to start and to maintain whatever your endeavor is. If you wish to be a writer or an artist you must create daily, and you must finish what you start. Similarly, if you want to start a new business or switch careers, you must pursue this goal daily. What stops us then, from accomplishing this goal?
Resistance is an inner force of nature that struggles against our creativity. It takes the shape of distractions and an inner critic that bogs us down with negative thinking. If you hear the phrases “no one will ever admire this” or “you’ll never make it as an artist” in the back of your mind like a broken record, then you’ve already met this beast.
Overcoming Resistance
There is only one way to defeat resistance, according to Pressfield, and that is to become a pro. Leave behind the childish stages of being an amateur hobbyist of your craft. You must approach your work with a serious mindset, creating habits that lead to success. This means showing up every day ready to create, physically standing in front of your chosen craft, and working towards your goals. You must also work to silence that inner critic, ignoring it entirely.
To learn more about overcoming resistance and unleashing your creative spirit, read War of Art by Steven Pressfield. You can also take a free mini-course on resistance at his website. The Carl Kruse blog “Rummaging for the Useful” also has a summary of War of art here.