A great meditation on the battle for change.

books:


	• The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles Steven Pressfield Grand Central Publishing, 2003 - 192 pages average customer review:based on 123 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Surprisingly powerful and useful

I am probably the last person on Earth to read, let alone praise a "you can do it", "just try your best" self-help book. But this one surprised me.

The author clearly has faced down the demons of doubt and distraction that plague most aspiring writers. I was shocked by how much of the book rang true for me.

This is an excellent work that just might help get you off your feet and on your butt so you can finally get some writing done. It certainly helped me. I'm a published author now and I have to give a little bit of the credit to this fine book that I might have arrogantly condemned (without reading) once upon a time.

The text is tight so it's a quick read. At times the author gets a bit too hocus pocus for my tastes, but that's okay. He makes strong points and offers invaluable advice.

Read it and start writing, today!

Guy P. Harrison, author of 50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God

I also recommend:

Fondling Your Muse: Infallible Advice From a Published Author to the Writerly Aspirant

The Writer's Book Of Wisdom: 101 Rules For Mastering Your Craft

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Good kick in the pants

I got this book because it came so highly recommended from various artists I know and respect.

I read thru it in one night (not a large book) and can't say I feel its as "mind blowing" or as "the best book ever" as others have told me.

It's a great book if you are floundering and don't know why, to look at how you are self saboetaging yourself and your art/creative career.

I think its a good book, if you know what your problems are, working on them but still slipping back into old habits.

I think its an so so book if you know these things and are actively doing better for yourself.

In the first section- he talks about the various forms of Resistance and why it impedes progress and growth. That is really helpful for those who can't see what they are doing wrong. The second section just goes over all the points in the first.

There are a few things that I really didn't agree with in the book such as "workshops are a waste of money". I don't think any amount of education is a waste of money, even if the lesson is you don't need to spend $$ on the current level of learning. Another was "dreamers never go anywhere". Everything in the world started as an idea in someones head, or their 'dream'. I agree that people who ONLY dream but don't act never go anywhere, but dont' say every dreamer is a loser-its just not true.

Overall, its helpful. Definately not the best book for me at this time, but I know it will be a break through for many people. 3 years ago I would have said he could be channeling my life so I can see how it would resonate with alot of people.

I would recommend James Ray's books/dvds in addition to this book if you are serious about wanting to change your life on every level too.

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Motivational

Not only will this book help you make the next move in your life, it will help with the down times as well. Very motivational.

A great meditation on the battle for change.

Of all places, this book was recommended by a screenwriter after we had come off the ice having played a game of hockey.
Looking back, I can think of no better poetic allusion to Pressfield's wonderfully thoughtful and amusing book than two men, dressed in armor, discussing the philosophy of creative obstacles.
This book, while being filed in the 'self-help' genre, is less a 'How To...' manuscript than one of changing perception.
It is candid, fervent in intelligence, and so personal that I constantly felt the author was writing directly to me. (A notion observed in many other readers as well).
Pressfield has real world accomplishments and real world obstacles. The obstacles take the form of 'Resistance' and every day is a relationship at play with retreating from them or overcoming. All misery emerges from the rift of who we are and who we want to be.
I always have this book at arms length, quote it often and have written my own projects with it's guidance.
A quick read.

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Unlock your true potential

I had a good time reading the pages of this book and found myself laughing out loud, and enjoying how Steven Pressfield shares how to break through the blocks and win our inner creative battles. He explains in great detail how resistance works in life and can sabotage us from pursuing our dreams (big and small). He explains where procrastination comes from and the many faces it can take on so one can tackle it and stop it from ruling our lives.
While reading, I thought that a great follow up to this book is Working on Yourself Doesn't Work: A Book About Instantaneous Transformation by Ariel and Shya Kane because their book presents 3 principles of Transformation that have supported me in shifting that very resistance Steven describes. After reading the Kane's books, (the other two are How To Create a Magical Relationship and Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment), all aspects of my life have transformed and the pursuing of my dreams happens effortlessly and organically.
I strongly recommend these books to anyone who wants to unlock their true potential and live the life of their dreams.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

DO YOU:-+dream about writing the Great American Novel?-+regret not finishing your paintings, poems, or screenplays?-+want to start a business or charity?-+wish you could start dieting or exercising today?-+hope to run a marathon someday?If "yes," then you need#133;THE WAR OF ARTNow, in this powerful, straight-from-the-hip examination of the internal obstacles to success, bestselling author Steven Pressfield shows readers how to identify, defeat, and unlock the inner barriers to creativity. THE WAR OF ART is an inspirational, funny, well-aimed kick in the pants guaranteed to galvanize every would-be artist, visionary, or entrepreneur.Steven Pressfield enjoys great international success as a bestselling novelist.But in order to reach the top he had to do a lot of work to fight the inner demons that told him he couldn't make it.THE WAR OF ART is his challenge to creative block, and his succinct, straight-from-the-hip style will help every reader unleash their personal ambitions, be they literary, artistic, or business-minded.According to Pressfield, the internal obstacle to success is Resistance.Resistance is the difference between the life you lead and the life you want to lead, and can take many forms.Pressfield shows readers how to identify and defeat Resistance at every turn and challenges them to change their amateurish, unsuccessful habits into a professional attitude that can get the job done. Finally, Sun Tzu for the soul!Inspirational, funny, and a great kick in the pants, THE WAR OF ART is the perfect book for anybody who had a goal circumvented by life and circumstance:which is to say, you and everybody you've ever met.

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