Steven Pressfield on Finding Your Calling: "Put Your A** Where Your Heart Wants to Be"
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interview of Steven Pressfieldm
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interview of Steven Pressfieldm
Oprah and Steven Pressfield – Author The War of Art. - transcript of the conversation
"He served in the marines and decided to be a writer. Oprah sits down with best-selling author,
thinker and creative visionary Steven Pressfield to talk about his book The
War of Art. Watch as Steven reveals practical steps to unlock the creative
genius he believes lives inside all of us.
“In The world of art if you apply the principles it helps
you break through the bricks.
Resistance is the negative force that arises when we try to
move from a low level to a higher level.
That is resistance. When trying to get out of your petty ego, and try to
get something out there, you meet resistance, that negative force.
The principle of resistance applies to everything we try to
do. In launching, entrepreneur, any diet
regiment, any religious advancement, programs to stop addiction, education of
any kind and any commitment of life, to have a child also coz you are trying to
move form something narrow, petty point of view to something noble. “To be open
to love” Ego is edging God out and thinking and putting yourself first.
This is for everyone.
The writer’s day – sits down in the morning and at eh end of
the day he asks himself one thing did I overcome resistance today. Then he knows his day was good.
The hardest thing is the commitment t sit down and write or
do what you intend to do. You reach a
point where the pain is worse when thinking of it than doing it. That nagging sensation you feel when you are
not doing what you intent to do, is the resistance.
Everyone has a zone, flow in
How
Get out of your little head and get to the lager identity and
lose yourself like kids do when playing,
they forget time everything and stay in the present moment. If you want paint paint, plunge it. Entrepreneur
wants to be start one. Start in
ACVTION. JUST DO IT.
What keeps us from doing what we want to do?
How do you define art? -
You know there is something inside you stopping you so you
listen to something inspirational to get going.
What is resistance? Why is it so prevalent when you want to
do something important?
The more important an activity is to your soul the more
resistance, fear you feel. If it means
something to you the more the resistance.
Your perceptions. How do you overcome? YOU JUST DO IT.
The pain of not doing what you want to do is worse. We procrastinate. It comes second. First you dream, resistance
is the shadow, Resistance is for every dream there is rshadow known as
resistance. He took 30 yrs before
selling a novel. At that time he didn’t know
there was resistance, but once he knew there was that resistance, - what made
him know that was resistance – Your will has to be stronger than the
resistance.
The thought comes am not good enough it’s been done
before. These thoughts we think they are
our thought but are not they are our resistance, the negative force form where
it comes from.
Ones you look straight at it and start doing what you want
to do, you find you are doing it. And you
start asking why didn’t I do this two months ago.
What do we do with it when we face resistance. Is to confront it. When you are getting to the next level that
is better as you recognize it and realize it is in your thought, the negative
force trying to stop you from going to the next level. The voice tells you all the negative
things. It is not your voice; it is like
gravity the force of nature.
How can you break though those bricks of negativity?
As we pursue our dream we rise up and find a force called
resistance. The amount of resistance is
the same amount as how important what you want to do is.
Resistance is universal and everyone is experiencing it. It is the fear thing. Metaphysics – There are two levels material
and the higher level soul. The soul is
trying to talk to us and we are trying to talk to it by praying. There is a force coming as resistance. It is a separation. There is the place above us, there is earth, and
the soul tries to communicate up to us. There is this force, but why not cruise
across it. AHA. What allows you to transcend that layer is
meditation. In the moment of stillness,
when you meditate you can meet the soul, the higher self, where God
resides. The voices we hear are not our
voices. The thoughts we here are not ours,
let them go. Ones you say that is not me,
it goes away. Your inner roommate is
always chattering, i.e. the ego.
Most of us have two lives, the life we live and the unlived
life within us. There is no difference
between art and prayer. When you are
giving your offering it is your prayer.
Prayer is defined as we are in a level here and there is another level
up there. We are constantly trying to
reach that other level up there. You
want to be an open vessel and allow the spirit of God, inspiration to flow through;
you want to take the space of ego remove it.
What is your calling, Name it, Claim it and xxxx
Is creativity. Humility is when you realize you are a
servant of a higher force.
Art, tangible stuff like music. Everyone has a calling however hard or humble. Ask what my calling is. Everyone knows in their heart. To find out is ask what you afraid of are. What would be the last thing to do if you
were to die? That is your calling.
What you are afraid of.
Your big job in life is to find out why you are here. There are people who don’t know. And it is unfortunately. They think they don’t know coz they think it
is something big. Resistance is self sabotage
but we are sabotaged by other people.
When people tell us we are not worthy especially when young, we are threatened.
E.g. how will you make a living being a writer? So you put off that to please
that voice. You give in to that voice. Others
sabotage is real but we also sabotage ourselves over and over again.
You blow it and has to be aware of it and has to get
stronger and stronger to get to realizing your dream and let it manifest.
Changing the way we look at ourselves,
When we struggle 2 ways we look at is that we are sick then
we can solve or that we are doing something wrong. Both make us judge ourselves. STOP JUDGING YOURSLEVE. Go in there and kick
it.
The third way of looking at it or overcoming resistant is to
that that the world and thinking like an amateur when one meets adversity one
falls. When you turn a pro it’s like
having your first child. Professionals
is an ideal. In contrast to the amateur
who plays for fun? Armature calling when
they face adversity the run and blow out.
But professionals etc make decisions and love their work and dedicates
and it becomes full time. But some are
not committed.
Positive aspect when you are on path then all tails starts
coming in.
Who is God -?
What is the soul – is the self S – part of self connected to
God. It survives the body and if we can live according to the higher plane then
we have something
God is what was before everything was and will be after all
is. Supreme consciousness etc
The moments of flow when working and ego go away, that is
his experience o God
The world needs to stop thinking in parochial terms, my
religion, my tribe as God sees everyone as his child and until we can do that
we are in trouble.
We need to calm ourselves in times of adversity.
Art is material existence that exists in potentiality d the
artist is caged in that change.
Joy – his greatest joy is lowing himself in artistic Endeavour
and making it a gift to other people. Being
able to offer someone through him something.
Just plunge in; put yr a….