Weekly Quote: Steven Pressfield on Starting your Symphony

This week’s quote is from Steven Pressfield’s book The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles, which I’ve written about before.

I've found that procrastination is sneaky because it sometimes disguises itself as planning or ideation, two essential aspects of the creative process. It's generally easier to think about something than actually do it, and taking the time to think about something offers more time for the resistance to get stronger. So, the longer I wait, the less likely I am to succeed..

This site began publication in January 2022, although I started planning it in October. We had a newborn, and there were plenty of legitimate considerations to consider before embarking on a new project requiring time and attention. Still, I know that some of that time was the resistance manifested as procrastination and fear. I had many internal arguments about why I couldn't get this site off the ground, and the voice of resistance was cunning and powerful. Yet, despite not knowing precisely what 24 Letters would become, I knew it needed to be created, so I launched. I can thank my family and friends who cheered me on, creators who inspired me, and books like Courage is Calling, The War of Art, and Soundtracks for helping me get here.

Pressfield talks about how the resistance gets even more potent when something is important and meaningful. I didn't realize it then, but creating this site has been vital to my happiness and growth over the last eight months. It has allowed me to connect with new people, learn new skills, grow new ideas, and think in new ways. This has been transformational, so the resistance was exceptionally loud!


I recommend following @steven_pressfield on Instagram. He's creating videos about overcoming resistance and getting stuff done. I like his style and his writing. Check out some of his historical fiction, too. It's really well done.

How do you overcome resistance and get projects shipped and that symphony written? Let me know.