Summary

Pressfield tells his story of how in writing he encounters his most extreme resistance and this is part of why he does it.

Key Takeaways

It's not the writing part that's hard, it's the sitting down to write. Overcoming this resistance is absolutely vital to growth and happiness

Defining the enemy, this resistance, is key and often the road you need to take (Pair with The Obstacle is the Way)

Master the fear and you conquer resistance

Resistance is strongest near the finish line

Resistance feels like unhappiness and manifests in eating, drinking, drugs, sex, any distraction

Only as free as the extent of your self mastery

The opposite of love isn't hate, it is indifference

Rationalization is resistance's right hand man

Must know the difference between what is urgent and what is important. Then do the important first (pair with Eisenhower's matrix)

Commitment to turn pro is epochal. A pro shows up every day no matter what and is in it for the long haul

An amateur is directly tied to the success of his work. A pro, the process. A pro has skin in the game and is not afraid of criticism or failure

Pro does not let the actions of others define his reality

Thinking of self as a business helps you gain perspective

The ego fears the true self as it likes how things are and hates change. Living up to the true self is daunting as this means we actually have to live up to the best version of ourselves

Never compare yourself hierarchically as this kills motivation and makes you focus on the wrong things

The hack caters to the audience instead of his heart

Can find your "territory" by figuring out what you would do if you were the last person on earth (Stevie Wonder's territory is the piano)

What I got out of it

Go towards and embrace the resistance. Doing this will lead you in the right direction towards success and happiness