DO THE WORK BY STEVEN PRESSFIELD

"On the field of the Self stand a knight and a dragon. You are the knight. Resistance is the dragon."

Orientation: Enemies and Allies

ENEMIES

  1. RESISTANCE - "Rule of thumb: The more important a call or action is to our soul’s evolution, the more Resistance we will feel toward pursuing it."

    "Resistance aims to kill. Its target is the epicenter of our being: our genius, our soul, the unique and priceless gift we were put on this earth to give and that no one else has but us. Resistance means business."
     

  2. RATIONAL THOUGHT - "When an artist says “Trust the soup,” she means let go of the need to control (which we can’t do anyway) and put your faith instead in the Source, the Mystery, the Quantum Soup."
     

  3. FRIENDS AND FAMILY - "The problem with friends and family is that they know us as we are. They are invested in maintaining us as we are."

ALLIES

  1. STUPIDITY - "Ignorance and arrogance are the artist and entrepreneur’s indispensable allies. She must be clueless enough to have no idea how difficult her enterprise is going to be—and cocky enough to believe she can pull it off anyway."

  2. STUBBORNESS - "We will sink our junkyard-dog teeth into Resistance’s ass and not let go, no matter how hard he kicks."

  3. BLIND FAITH - "Our mightiest ally (our indispensable ally) is belief in something we cannot see, hear, touch, taste, or feel."

  4. PASSION - "When we conquer our fears, we discover a boundless, bottomless, inexhaustible well of passion."

  5. ASSITANCE

  6. FRIENDS AND FAMILY - "Only two things will remain with us across the river: our inhering genius and the hearts we love."

Beginning

"Start Before You’re Ready Don’t prepare. Begin."

  1. STAY PRIMITIVE - "Conception occurs at the primal level. I’m not being facetious when I stress, throughout this book, that it is better to be primitive than to be sophisticated, and better to be stupid than to be smart."

  2. SWING FOR THE FENCES - "If you and I want to do great stuff, we can’t let ourselves work small. A home-run swing that results in a strikeout is better than a successful bunt or even a line-drive single."

"Start with the theme. What is this project about?"

Middle

"Get to THE END as if the devil himself were breathing down your neck and poking you in the butt with his pitchfork."

"The inner critic? His ass is not permitted in the building. Set forth without fear and without self-censorship. When you hear that voice in your head, blow it off. This draft is not being graded. There will be no pop quiz. Only one thing matters in this initial draft: get SOMETHING done, however flawed or imperfect."

"Ideas come according to their own logic. That logic is not rational. It’s not linear. We may get the middle before we get the end. We may get the end before we get the beginning. Be ready for this. Don’t resist it."

"Act, reflect. Act, reflect. NEVER act and reflect at the same time. In writing, “action” means putting words on paper. “Reflection” means evaluating what we have on paper."

"Our job is not to control our idea; our job is to figure out what our idea is (and wants to be)—and then bring it into being."

"A work-in-progress generates its own energy field. You, the artist or entrepreneur, are pouring love into the work; you are suffusing it with passion and intention and hope. This is serious juju. The universe responds to this. It has no choice."

"How much time can you spare each day? For that interval, close the door and—short of a family emergency or the outbreak of World War III—don’t let ANYBODY in. Keep working. Keep working. Keep working."

"I ask myself, again, of the project: “What is this damn thing about?” Keep refining your understanding of the theme; keep narrowing it down. This is the thorniest nut of any creative endeavor—and the one that evokes the fiercest Resistance."

"Have that meeting twice a week. Pause and reflect. “What is this project about?” “What is its theme?” “Is every element serving that theme?”"

THE BELLY OF THE BEAST

  1. Principle Number One: There Is an Enemy - "This recognition alone is enormously powerful. It saved my life, and it will save yours."

  2. Principle Number Two: This Enemy Is Implacable - “It will kill you. It will kill you like cancer.”

  3. Principle Number Three: This Enemy Is Inside You - "Resistance is not a peripheral opponent. It does not arise from rivals, bosses, spouses, children, terrorists, lobbyists, or political adversaries. It comes from us."

  4. Principle Number Four: The Enemy Is Inside You, But It Is Not You - "No moral judgment attaches to the possession of it. You “have” Resistance the same way you “have” a heartbeat. You are blameless. You retain free will and the capacity to act."

  5. Principle Number Five: The “Real You” Must Duel the “Resistance You” - "On the field of the Self stand a knight and a dragon. You are the knight. Resistance is the dragon".

  6. Principle Number Six: Resistance Arises Second - "It means that before the dragon of Resistance reared its ugly head and breathed fire into our faces, there existed within us a force so potent and life-affirming that it summoned this beast into being, perversely, to combat it."

  7. Principle Number Seven: The Opposite of Resistance Is Assistance

ESISTANCE TWO TESTS

  1. How bad do you want it?

  2. Why do you want it?

"The only items you get to keep are love for the work, will to finish, and passion to serve the ethical, creative Muse."

"A crash does not mean we are losers. A crash means we have to grow."

"When we experience panic, it means that we’re about to cross a threshold. We’re poised on the doorstep of a higher plane."

In the belly of the beast, we remind ourselves of two axioms:

  1. The problem is not us. The problem is the problem.

  2. Work the problem.

END

"Because finishing is the critical part of any project. If we can’t finish, all our work is for nothing. When we ship, we declare our stuff ready for prime time. We pack it in a FedEx box and send it out into the world. Our movie hits the screens, our smart phone arrives in the stores, our musical opens on Broadway. It takes balls of steel to ship."

"A perplexed person stands before two doors. One door says HEAVEN. The other says BOOKS ABOUT HEAVEN. What makes us laugh, I suspect, is that all of us feel the pull to pick BOOKS ABOUT HEAVEN. Are we that timid? Are our huevos that pocito? When we’re offered a chance at heaven, what diabolically craven force makes us want to back off—just for now, we promise ourselves—and choose instead heaven’s pale reflection? Fear of success is the essence of Resistance."

"When we ship, we’re exposed. That’s why we’re so afraid of it. When we ship, we’ll be judged."

"Here’s one thing I can tell you—and you can take this to the bank: Slay that dragon once, and he will never have power over you again."

"Take the rest of the day off. Take your wife or husband out to dinner. Pop some champagne. Give yourself a standing ovation. Then get back to work. Begin the next one tomorrow. Stay stupid. Trust the soup. Start before you’re ready."

TURNING PRO BY STEVEN PRESSFIELD

Book One - The Amateur Life

"The thesis of this book is that what ails you and me has nothing to do with being sick or being wrong. What ails us is that we are living our lives as amateurs. The solution, this book suggests, is that we turn pro."

"The difference between an amateur and a professional is in their habits. An amateur has amateur habits. A professional has professional habits."

"When you turn pro, your life gets very simple."

"Resistance hates two qualities above all others: concentration and depth. Why? Because when we work with focus and we work deep, we succeed."

Book Two - Self-Inflicted Wounds

"The amateur fears solitude and silence because she needs to avoid, at all costs, the voice inside her head that would point her toward her calling and her destiny. So she seeks distraction."

"The payoff of living in the past or the future is you never have to do your work in the present."

"The sure sign of an amateur is he has a million plans and they all start tomorrow."

"Each individual is so caught up in his own bullshit that he doesn't have two seconds to worry about yours or mine, or to reject or diminish us because of it."

"The essence of epiphanies is the stripping away of self-delusion. We thought we were X. Now suddenly we see we're minus-X. We're X divided by infinity. There is great power in this moment. We've lost something, yes. A cherished self-delusion must be abandoned, and this hurts. But what we have gained is the truth. Our bullshit falls away. The scales drop from our eyes. In that moment we have two options: We can reconstitute our bullshit. Or we can turn pro."

"Why is shame good? Because shame can produce the final element we need to change our lives: will."

Book Three - The Professional Mindset

"The professional does not wait for inspiration; he acts in anticipation of it."

"The professional is happy to teach. He will gladly lend a hand or deliver a swift kick. But there's a caveat. The professional refuses to be iconized. Not for selfish reasons, but because he knows how destructive the dynamic of iconization is to the iconizer. The pro will share his wisdom with other professionals — or with amateurs who are committed to becoming professionals."

"When we do the work for itself alone (I know how easy that is to say and how hard it is to do), we're like that Marine who sleeps in a foxhole in the freezing rain but who knows a secret that only he and his brothers and sisters share."

"When we convene day upon day in the same space at the same time, a powerful energy builds up around us. This is the energy of our intention, of our dedication, of our commitment."

"The professional trusts the mystery. He knows that the Muse always delivers."

Five Principles:

  1. Work over your head.
  2. Write what you don't know.
  3. Take what the defense gives you.
  4. Play hurt.
  5. Sit chilly.

#389 - 3 WAYS TO EFFECTIVELY LEAD LEADERS

How do you lead leaders? How do you lead the individuals that add the most value to your organization? How do you lead the people that day in and day out are moving the mission of your organization forward?

These are questions that I ask myself often, and, fortunately, I came across a resource by Nelson Searcy entitled, "Shepherding Your Staff: How to Ensure the Spiritual Health of Those You Lead" that has provided some tremendous insight into how I can do this more effectively. Here is the outline of the thoughts in the resource that I hope can be helpful to you as you lead leaders! 

1. LEAD

  • Set Direction

    Are the leaders in your organization clear on the organization's Mission, Vision, and Values? Are the leaders in your organization clear on their roles and responsibilities? Direction is set by making leaders aware of and accountable for both the MACRO and the MICRO goals of the organization.  
     

  • Bring Alignment

    Are the leaders in your organization clear on their expectations? Are the leaders in your organization experiencing effective meetings? Are the leaders in your organization given opportunity to give feedback? Alignment is brought through clear expectations, effective meetings, and a culture of feedback.
     

  • Maximize Strengths

    Are you getting the most out of the leaders in your organization? Are you getting "A" work out of your "A" players? Strengths are maximized by identifying the value a leader can bring to the organization and by holding them accountable to bringing that value. 

2. FEED

  • Train Completely

    Are you training your leaders to do everything you're expecting them to do? Are you training them to do their ministry well? Are you training them to live their life well? Leaders are fed when they are trained completely in ministry and in life.
     

  • Praise Publicly

    Are you giving credit to the leaders on your team publicly? How are you praising your leaders either in front of the entire organization or in front of your other leaders? Leaders are fed when they are praised publicly.
     

  • Pastor Spiritually

    Are you praying for your leaders? Are you checking in on their spiritual disciplines? Are you asking them about the health of their spiritual life? Leaders are fed when they are pastored spiritually. 

3. PROTECT

  • Build Boundaries

    Are you building boundaries around your leaders' schedule? Are you encouraging your leaders to take a Sabbath? Are you building boundaries around your leaders' accessibility? Protect your leaders by building boundaries around both their work life and home life. 
     

  • Confront Privately

    Are you confronting your key leaders quickly, clearly, and completely? Are you speaking ill of your leaders when they are not present? Protect your leaders by confronting them privately and by speaking highly of them in public. 
     

  • De-Hire Appropriately

    Are you keeping someone in a position that they are not suited for? Are you keeping someone on the team who is harming the culture more than they are helping it? Do you need to move someone from one team to another? Is a particular leader having trouble growing with the organization? Protect your leaders by firing them appropriately!

Which one of these approaches can you implement today to more effectively lead your leaders? Please leave your comments below, I'd really like to know!