Podcast Summary
Turning Pro: Embrace a genuine calling and continue pursuing it despite challenges, develop necessary skills, and persist through mental and emotional barriers for long-term success.
Persistence isn't just about grinding it out through tough times. According to Stephen Pressfield, it's about having a genuine calling and continuing to pursue it despite the challenges. Pressfield, whose career took off at the age of 50 after decades of struggle, emphasizes that the skills surrounding the thing we're passionate about are just as important as the thing itself. He calls this concept "turning pro," which is essential for anyone with big goals in life. The resistance, a mental and emotional barrier we all face, can be particularly strong when we're on the cusp of a breakthrough. Pressfield, who has written extensively about the resistance, encourages us to keep going and not give up on our deepest desires. Whether it's writing, painting, singing, or any other creative pursuit, the key is to do it for the love of it and not for fame or fortune. The stories of late-in-life successes, like Pressfield's and Cormac McCarthy's, remind us that perseverance and a true calling can lead to great rewards.
Resistance to growth: Resistance can take many forms, including self-sabotage and avoidance, and can hinder personal growth and creativity. To overcome it, confront it head-on and don't let it prevent progress.
Resistance, a force that can hinder personal growth and creativity, manifests in various ways throughout one's career and personal life. It can be particularly strong when individuals try to move from a lower level to a higher level, such as finishing a project or having vulnerable conversations in relationships. Resistance can take many forms, including self-sabotage and avoidance. For example, an author may cheat on their spouse to avoid completing a book. The resistance can be subtle and nuanced, changing its tactics over time. The only way to overcome resistance is to face it head-on and not let it prevent progress. Even if the outcome is terrifying, like having a difficult conversation, it's important to confront it and move forward. Resistance is an ever-present force, but with determination and awareness, it can be overcome.
Breaking down large projects: Approach large projects with patience, persistence, and a willingness to recognize and learn from personal patterns, breaking them down into smaller, manageable parts.
Tackling large projects or challenges can be overwhelming, and it's essential to break them down into smaller, manageable parts. The speaker uses the example of writing a book, where focusing on writing one good page at a time can lead to greater success than trying to complete the entire project in a short amount of time. This approach also applies to other areas of life, such as physical training or relationships. Additionally, recognizing and understanding personal patterns or mental blocks can help overcome challenges and prevent unnecessary frustration. For instance, the speaker shares how they often struggle with chapter three in their writing projects, but have learned to anticipate and prepare for this challenge instead of getting emotionally invested and potentially derailing the project. Overall, the key takeaway is to approach long-term projects with patience, persistence, and a willingness to recognize and learn from personal patterns.
Resistance in Creative Process and Personal Growth: Resistance is a common experience in both creative process and personal growth, indicating the importance and novelty of a project or experience. Embracing and pushing through the resistance leads to personal growth and the rewarding process of turning pro.
Both the creative process and personal growth involve facing challenges and resistance. For the speaker, writing a book and struggling with the last chapters is a common experience, as is the fear of exposing one's work to the world. Similarly, in personal life, resistance can indicate the importance and novelty of a project or experience. The speaker also shares their experience with caffeine addiction and introduces Mudwater as a low-caffeine alternative. The idea that resistance follows a dream or important project is emphasized, making it a good sign rather than a source of discouragement. The speaker encourages perseverance and reminds that the process, while challenging, is also rewarding in its own way. The concept of turning pro, as discussed in the speaker's book, is applicable to this idea of embracing the challenges and pushing through the resistance.
Mindset shift to professional: Adopting a professional mindset involves persisting through challenges, showing up consistently, pushing through pain, and fully committing to projects, leading to progress and potential opportunities.
Adopting a professional mindset can significantly improve one's approach to challenges, both in creative work and other areas of life. An amateur may give up when faced with adversity, but a professional persists and works through problems. This mindset also involves showing up consistently, pushing through pain or discomfort, and committing fully to a project or endeavor. By thinking and acting like a professional, one can make progress even when things are difficult, and may even attract opportunities and success as a result. This concept of "turning pro" is not limited to work or financial commitments, but can apply to any area of life where one wants to see growth and improvement. It's a simple yet powerful shift in mindset that can lead to significant progress and fulfillment.
Creative Process Challenges: Success in creative fields often depends on factors beyond raw talent, including editing, revision, creativity, image, energy, stage presence, handling rejection, managing emotions, and persisting through challenges.
The skills required to excel in creative fields often go beyond the initial assumptions. For instance, in writing, while the ability to put words on a page is essential, editing and revision are arguably more important. Similarly, in music, pure musicianship may not be the only factor that determines success. Factors like creativity, image, energy, and stage presence can play a significant role. Moreover, the ability to handle rejection, manage emotions, and persist over a long period can make all the difference. The same can be said for athletes, where talent alone may not be enough to reach the top. The emotional process and the ability to focus on one goal are crucial elements of success. In essence, it's not just about having the raw talent but also about how one uses that talent and manages the challenges that come with the creative process.
Writer's Development: Both hardships and experiences, as well as a strong imagination, contribute to a writer's development. It's essential to strike a balance and not let hardships become debilitating, as success in writing requires a combination of self-awareness, effective communication, and creativity.
Both hardships and experiences, as well as a strong imagination, contribute to the development of a writer. While some writers may have lived through various challenges and struggles, others, like Emily Dickinson, have excelled without extensive worldly experiences. The imagination plays a significant role in creating compelling stories, even if the writer has not directly experienced the events they write about. However, it's essential to strike a balance and not let the hardships become debilitating. The glamorization of suffering in the arts is a common misconception, and not all great artists have had tumultuous lives. Instead, a combination of hardships, self-awareness, and the ability to communicate effectively is necessary for success in writing. Additionally, the metaphors of war and motherhood offer different perspectives on the creative process, with war representing external conflict and motherhood representing the nurturing and protection of new ideas.
Creativity and Mental Health: Creativity and mental health are interconnected. Embrace imperfections, trust external sources of inspiration, and consider therapy as a tool to navigate life's chaos and improve creativity and overall well-being.
Creativity and mental health are interconnected. Just as we cherish our imperfect childhood creations, we should also embrace the imperfections and quirks of our own thoughts and ideas. The ancient Greek concept of a muse, or a divine source of inspiration, can be applied to the creative process. Ideas don't originate from us, but rather from an external source that we must be open to receiving. Therapy, like a personal guide, can help us navigate the chaos of life and provide us with the tools to better cope with the ups and downs of creativity and life in general. So, whether it's through therapy or trusting the mysterious muse, remember to stay open to new ideas and to embrace the imperfect journey of creativity. And if you're considering therapy but don't have easy access, consider trying BetterHelp, an online platform that offers flexibility and convenience.
Advertising and Writing: Successful writers can learn valuable techniques from advertising, such as grabbing attention and engaging audiences, to enhance their craft and effectively communicate with readers.
Successful writers and creatives often borrow ideas and techniques from various sources, including advertising. This practice, referred to as "stealing," is not about plagiarism but rather about finding inspiration and learning new skills. The advertising industry, in particular, can teach writers valuable lessons about grabbing and holding people's attention. Steven Pressfield, an author, shares his experiences of learning copywriting and the impact it had on his writing career. He emphasizes the importance of hooking the audience and engaging them despite resistance. This concept is applicable to all types of writing, from ads to novels. Pressfield also discusses his latest project, "The Daily Pressfield," a self-published book inspired by Ryan Holiday's "The Daily Stoic." This 365-day format aims to help readers navigate the challenges they face during their creative projects. Overall, the key takeaway is that creatives can learn from various disciplines, such as advertising, to improve their craft and effectively engage their audience.