The amateur believes he must first overcome his fear; then he can do his work. The professional knows that fear can never be overcome. He knows there is no such thing as a fearless warrior or a dread-free artist.
Interpretation
Embracing fear is essential for growth and achievement.
This quote emphasizes that fear is an inherent part of any challenging endeavor, whether in art or other professions. Instead of waiting to eliminate fear, successful individuals learn to acknowledge and work alongside it, recognizing that courage isn’t the absence of fear but the determination to act despite it.
In practice
In a motivational speech, one might say, 'Remember, as Steven Pressfield reminds us, embracing your fear is key to unlocking your true potential.'
Late at night have you experienced a vision of the person you might become, the work you could accomplish, the realized being you were meant to be? Are you a writer who doesn't write, a painter who doesn't paint, an entrepreneur who never starts a venture? Then you know what Resistance is.
It is one thing to study war and another to live the warrior's life.
When we sit down day after day and keep grinding, something mysterious starts to happen... Unseen forces enlist in our cause; serendipity reinforces our purpose.
You know, Hitler wanted to be an artist. At eighteen he took his inheritance, seven hundred kronen, and moved to Vienna to live and study... Ever see one of his paintings? Neither have I. Resistance beat him. Call it overstatement but I'll say it anyway: it was easier for Hitler to start World War II than it was for him to face a blank square of canvas.
It’s better to be in the arena, getting stomped by the bull, than to be up in the stands or out in the parking lot.
Rule of thumb: The more important a call or action is to our soul's evolution, the Resistance we will feel toward pursuing it.
I realized, if I don't step into the spotlight, and the person next to me doesn't step in, and the people around me don't step in, then who will?
No person has the right to rain on your dreams.
To reach a port we must sail, sometimes with the wind, and sometimes against it. But we must not drift or lie at anchor.
Four steps to achievement: Plan purposefully. Prepare prayerfully. Proceed positively. Pursue persistently.
If you improve 1% a day, then in 100 days, guess what? You're 100% better.
My thing was play as hard as you can, don't be stupid, pay attention to details, and have enough guts in the clutch that you're not afraid to make a play. Some things I thought were important for a young man to know.
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