What follows are the section headers from the first book of Steven Pressfield’s The War of Art. It’s a fantastic read about Resistance. Resistance is what keeps us from sitting down and doing work. And as the Dalai Lama says, and Pressfield quotes: “The enemy is a very good teacher.” So it’s only fitting that the first section of the book is 100% focused on learning from creator’s primary enemy, Resistance.
I’ve included the headers below as a taste of what the first part of book is about. Each section of the book is fairly short – sometimes just a few sentences, but never more than 3 or 4 pages. Once I was a few sections into the book I knew that I wanted to collect all the headers side by side because I had a hunch that they would read like a poem:
Resistance’s greatest hits
Resistance is invisible
Resistance is internal
Resistance is insidious
Resistance is implacable
Resistance is impersonal
Resistance is infallible
Resistance is universal
Resistance never sleeps
Resistance plays for keeps
Resistance is fueled by fear
Resistance only opposes in one direction
Resistance is most powerful at the finish line
Resistance recruits allies
Resistance and procrastination
Resistance and procrastination, part two
Resistance and sex
Resistance and trouble
Resistance and self-dramatization
Resistance and self-medication
Resistance and victimhood
Resistance and the choice of a mate
Resistance and this book
Resistance and unhappiness
Resistance and fundamentalism
Resistance and criticism
Resistance and self-doubt
Resistance and fear
Resistance and love
Resistance and being a star
Resistance and isolation
Resistance and isolation, part two
Resistance and healing
Resistance and support
Resistance and rationalization
Resistance and rationalization, part two
Resistance can be beaten
I just finished The War of Art a few days ago and it’s already had a huge impact on my ability to overcome Resistance and practice my art.
Buy it. Read it. Never loan it out.