Whatever You Think You Know About Yourself, You’re Wrong
The Second Rule of Artist’s Journey is this:
If you think you know who you are, you’re wrong.
Hunter S. Thompson’s ambition was to write like Scott Fitzgerald. He copied the whole of The Great Gatsby, trying to teach himself to compose sentences that flowed with the effortless grace of those penned by his hero. How surprised must the avatar of gonzo journalism have been to find his true voice, not in This Side of Paradise but in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Generation of Swine?
The stories we tell ourselves about ourselves are almost always wrong. That’s their nature. The purpose of these self-conceived narratives is to keep us comfortably unconscious. We tell ourselves these stories so we can avoid the pain of diving deep, to the real story underneath.
The artist’s journey is the dive through the faux story to the true one.
Steve shows you the predictable Resistance points that every writer hits in a work-in-progress and then shows you how to deal with each one of these sticking points. This book shows you how to keep going with your work.
A short book about the writing of a first novel: for Steve, The Legend of Bagger Vance. Having failed with three earlier attempts at novels, here's how Steve finally succeeded.
NOBODY WANTS TO READ YOUR SH*T
Steve shares his "lessons learned" from the trenches of the five different writing careers—advertising, screenwriting, fiction, nonfiction, and self-help. This is tradecraft. An MFA in Writing in 197 pages.
Amateurs have amateur habits. Pros have pro habits. When we turn pro, we give up the comfortable life but we find our power. Steve answers the question, "How do we overcome Resistance?"
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So true as I am discovering more and more.
There seems to be a pattern.
The peace and calm before the storm.
I settle in being happy with the person that I am.
I get the impression -almost conviction -that next time, if a similar situation arises, I will know how my person will react.
Then a new event happens. Could be money related or a relationship or anything I deem important.
Before I know an earthquake shakes me in my mind as I realise who I thought I was, was wrong.
And if I try to live my life with the person that I thought I was, I realise it doesn’t work.
Fear takes over..
Need to quickly find new resources within me to cope with the new situation.
Sometimes it takes more time than before.
Life is, among other things, constantly learning about oneself I find.
I’m facing my fear right now and I’m not knowing who am I yet.
Speaking only for myself, the mere fact that I sit down to write is a tacit admission that I am a veritable mine full of fool’s gold, with each subsequent draft my attempt to distill a nugget of something that shines true instead of glittering falsely.
Great post, Steve.
Keep probing, Steve. Thanks for today’s post.
At times it’s this time then next time…then, I ask, where is that great decide?
Thank you very much dear Steve.
First of all I connect the fact that we don’t know who we are, with the fact that when I see myself at a video, that definitely is NOT ME. That body, those moves, that energy have nothing to do with what I am inside. Damn, they are totally different, I really mean that.
So I’m not even me, for what can be more me than my moving and emitting matter? And yet I’m not that at all.
mr. Kahneman, nobelist of an economic theory, believes that we are actually our System 2, meaning the part of our brain that can make deliberately logical thoughts and decisions. He seperates that part from the other part, System 1, which is our intuition in simple terms, and is always automatic and out of our conscious control. It is the System 2 then, the deliberate thinker inside us, whom we control and thus who we are, and whose role among others is to control the unstoppable stimuli and commands that the automatic System 1 brings to our self each second but can be prone to errors of judgement.
Ah, maybe you can connect with good accuracy Resistance with the never-stopping System 1, that has a great power and always sends signals, but is prone to logical errors because of its subjectivity, it’s partial knowledge, its never stopping action and its certain logical errors that mr. Kahneman studies one by one on his book Thinking, Fast and Slow, and other books. For System 2 is lazy and slow and needs hard work, so it doesn’t act automatically by definition, or when it acts it acts much less than it should, and that starts the accumulative disaster of System 1 controlling our decisions. Damn, Sarah Connor said of T101 in Terminator 2, considering the robots’ unending attention to and protection of her leader-to-be son: “I see it now. In an insane world, that robot is the most sane choice.”
So, who are we?
One one hand, we are specific and important for our roles in society, and we have definite IDs.
On the other hand we are something that can’t be expressed with certain traits, for we are an extremely complex mechanism of nature, by definition.
I am not my realistic body for sure.
If what I say to my self that I am is wrong, then I am UNKNOWN by definition (and by Socrates).
On the best scenario, I am my System 2. A logical power that has weaknesses.
Damn, Socrates would laugh.
P.S. 1: yesterday I saw with great concentration Terminator 2 again after many many years. I would now recognize patterns and dynamics and emotions that were invisible for me in all of my past. I was striked by the whole structure of the film, I was smashed, I apprehended the details in which the creators dove deep. That gave me hope that my concentration to detail on my book is important, because even if I couldn’t recognize the T2 details back then, they would still charm me so much, so much. Damn, how many such apprehensions have I lost all these years. Thankfully I’m still 44, maybe I have some more years.
P.S. 2: Happy Birthday for this Sunday! As a humble friend with you and Diana I sent you a very small gift, a book from one of the most important writers of Greece, Nikos Kazantzakis, Zorba the Greek. His works touched me when I was a boy, being half Cretan (he was full), eventhough back then I couldn’t read. I couldn’t read a book ’till I was 25! Then I discovered the journey of personal development, and I tried for so long, it took me about until my forties until finally, reluctantly, I can read and comprehend what I read, even if it is a bit harder stuff. And yet he touched me, moved me, maybe because he used the language of the heart.
P.S. 3: Damn, thank you so much for The Daily Pressfield. It has an effect on me, and I tremble to the thought that it may have an effect of me for a whole year. Damn, a magnificent idea.
P.S. 4: I had something more to tell that is important, but I forgot it! Will return later if the glimpse comes back.
Ah, the Glimpse came back! So, P.S. 4:
Before I wrote you, I checked on John Connor actor, Edward Furlong, his life.
To my grief I saw that he got troubles with drugs and alcohol.
I am so sorry about that. Being the leader-to-be of the Resistance of humanity, and then turning out so badly. Damn this world.
We are not who we think we are then, are we?
[See wiki, where it writes about him: *Speaking on his initial hesitancy to maintain sobriety (from drugs), he said: “I genuinely was afraid of facing what I would be without all that, because I carried all that as who I was.”*]
Damn.
Feeling sorry about his lack of luck means feeling sorry about me too. For he was me in a way, an archetype of my age and desires at the time. My ideal self in an ideal dark life and adventure, which both were only flaming shadows in Plato’s cave.
Damn it all.
Hi Tolis!!
Guess what I am reading right now for Ted Gioia’s Humanities program, my dear friend? For the first time? Homer’s The Odyssey! I know our Gov. Steve has talked about it a lot as well. It was finally time. I am getting lost in the lovely Greek Mythologies and stories while the world around me is repeating history.
In Plato’s cave, I’d like to think the friendships made here in the comment section are all trying to help one another see the light. Resistance makes us want to shadow dance, but our eyes will adjust to the Truth and light. Keep fighting it, Tolis!! <3
In my head, I wanted to be Trent Reznor or TOOL because I listened to them so much. My songwriting is more soft. I must lean in to who I truly am. Trying to be hardcore was a defense mechanism for my sensitivity anyway. Truth Bomb from the Gov today!
Kate
My dear Kate, thank you so much for your inspiring energy!
Good luck with the Odyssey! You are an archaeologist of ideas and humanity now! I really hope you got yourself an inspiring translation!
And don’t worry when you feel lost in the passages becaus you will start realizing that it may not be the epic, but the culture’s remains that forged the lines in it, that brought forth democracy and science.
You are close to the Light always! Ah, being there is so fragile: “when you turn on the light, how far away does the dark go? Not very far. If the light starts to fade, even a bit, guess what, the dark will come right back in.” So you follow the Light <3
I'm gonna check TOOL and Trent Reznor, yur defensive ministry 😀
correction, I’m gonna check TOOL and Trent Reznor, your ministry of defence 😛
Yay!! I have a friend in Greece who is extremely knowledgeable about this stuff- his name is Tolis 🙂 Thank you!! I am lost at sea a bit, pun intended, but I am really enjoying the lessons The Odyssey is teaching me already. It’s a tale of Resistance as well! Calypso and temptation–these lessons are so relatable in the 21st Century. Even if it isn’t Romance, anything that takes away from our mission…
I highly recommend listening to Reznor’s The Social Network soundtrack next time you’re writing. It will get you into a flow state dear Tolis!
If all I got out of my time on this site was making your acquaintance, Kate, it was a good run. You’re such a sweetheart!
Thank you, Maureen!!
So grateful for you and Steve–all here <3 We are warriors.
Y’all people are awesome.
Through the pain to become truly alive. Reminds be of childbirth. Lol.
It is much too early this morning to figure out what or who , but I AM!
This one walloped me, Steve.
I AM, you ARE, present and perfect! 👌
And it turns out that avoiding the pain of diving through the faux story is *also* a story we tell ourselves. The true story is love, relief, aha, peace–that’s how you know it when you find it and it is there all along. Such a challenging path, to own our real selves. But there’s our gold, so let’s go. Thanks for connecting with us on this, Steve.
And, when do you know you are you? I think everyone is different and I still don’t know who decide who. One mad guy claimed that someone like me is a hustler. He meant that in a negative way and I was like, how did he knew me and I don’t know myself?
My advice is for you to do your best and leave the judgement to the judges.
I was at a networking meeting this morning. We all went around the room and answered the question, who would be most surprised about your success?
I thought about a teacher who said I wouldn’t amount to anything because I couldn’t sit still and pay attention. Well, that is normal for a 10-year-old boy. He’d be surprised to know, 50 years later, that I am happy and have authored four books.
But, if I had embraced his BS, I would be nowhere, as he predicted.
I am persuaded that someone else put much of what we think of ourselves on us. I think Mr. Pressfield would agree that this is another form of resistance
Great insight Tom. I agree we carry a lot of baggage from otheres, especially family and the roles that were expected of us. To open up, examine, and discard those things we are not is hard and at times, painful. But it is also freeing. Do the hard stuff, no excuses. Banish resistance.
Who we are is a voyage of discovery.
I think of my own life, almost six full decades, and I’ve been many things: Son, brother, student, baseball nut, reader, Tolkien fanatic, writer, Christian, insurance auditor, husband, father, technology expert, editor, preacher, pastor, father-in-law, football nut, NASCAR nut, grandfather–I think you get the picture. I’m sure I’ve left out many aspects of who I am.
We are too busy or focused on other things to see the whole of who we are. So, we learn about ourselves as the years pass, and we learn best when we are quiet, undistracted, and concentrating on creating something from within. Out flows who we are, and sometimes, what we find surprises us. Self-discovery can be, for some, comforting, but for others, it is shocking and disconcerting.
I hope your journey opens up new avenues of growth and creativity.
Perhaps in the journey of the ever-evolving “me”
Is the constant in the chaos of the seeker, you see—
It keeps one on one’s toes, these thoughts of Destiny
Epiphanies grand or subtle revealing what we’re to see;
We’re all madly dancing in this Cosmic Revelry
Called “Life”—The collective consciousness of Humanity
“If it is to be, it’s up to thee” said one wiser than we
Verisimilitude & strife reveals all there is is just “To Be.”
Over 90 years and able to say with certainty that there is no certainty Buy a big eraser
Haha. I love this! Kind of says it perfectly.
Thank you, Chuck, for this insight!
Nodding.
Great post. I just reread Lonesome Dove. I was surprised to note that all of McMurtry’s heroic characters grappled with self-doubt and regret about past mistakes, even Captain Call, the most certain, determined, and fearsome of them all. So it’s not just me. Looks like most everyone has to overcome their doubts, fears, and regrets in pursuit of our goals.
“The artist’s journey is the dive through the faux story to the true one.”
True about the artist, and also true about the part of the world that is the artist’s subject.
Thanks to your insights in The War of Art I’ve been writing consistently!
As I keep working on my current project, I have found myself writing more and more, only to find that the story’s contours keep unveiling as time passes. Your post today connects quite well with your thoughts on sitting down every day to do the work. For the coil of the faux story to be shed, we’ve gotta work at it each day. I’ve only found the truth of this to be more true with every passing day.
Not sure I want to know who I am.. After writing novels, I’m scared to find out. I’m doing things I would never do in real life…kill people. But I have learned a lot about me and am better now. Not so …. sweet and nice. I kinda speak up like a true heroine should. My ladies have taught me much
I agree completely:)
Well, we all have a face
That we hide away forever
And we take them out and show ourselves
When everyone has gone
Some are satin, some are steel
Some are silk and some are leather
They’re the faces of the stranger
But we love to try them on
– Billy Joel, from The Stranger
Dear Fellow Warriors of Art,
First of all, thank you for being a stop on my weekly artist’s journey to refill every Wednesday. I look forward to a weekly fill up every Wednesday morning. While reading The Daily Pressfield this morning which I got for Christmas I was shockingly honored and blown away in the best way possible to find Steve mentioning something that I wrote for a fellow artist out here in the trenches. Day 249 We’re all in the trenches. Here was my original post from four years ago.
Dear Kati/Steve/Fellow Warriors,
I must say that I read this blog every week and this is the first time I have ever felt the need to respond. First Kati I want to congratulate you not only on your journey as an artist but your enduring struggle to find a place for your muse in this world. I would say that you are now in possession of what Mark Mclaughlin refers to in Cognitive Dominance as “Terrible Knowledge.” To quote the book here “(I have a sense) of really knowing the truth in a way that other people don’t know it. And all the truth is harsh and impossible to really accept, and yet you have to go on and function.” I salute how much you gave to your muse. The lengths you must have gone to. The depths of commitment it had to take to remove the people from your life that were holding you back from bringing your gift to the world no matter how much heartache it brought you.
I thank you for writing what you did because while I am not in your exact circumstance I too have failed and failed again while continuing to find a way to stake everything to bring my gift to the world. You may be broke and broken but you are not alone. There are others out there who are suffocating in the belly of the beast and may have been there for years. Your post gives me hope that I am not alone in scratching my way through the side of a whale.
So I ask you this. Can you remember what it was like to write and truly tap into the core of the universe and bring your gift to this side? To quote Cognitive Dominance again: ” But we also have life experiences when we are perfectly in sync with our environment. Our “having” goal is perfectly attuned to our “being” goal. We “feel” like we can’t miss, like we are exactly where we should be at exactly the right time and that our personal skills (agency) are perfectly aligned with our specific environment (arena). If we’re Ted Williams and we come to the plate for the last at bat of our career, we :know” we’ll hit a home run. And we do.” I can say that with this post that you shared with Steve you may not feel like you have done anything with your gift but it hit a home run for me.
If your muse has left you and been gone for years did she leave a note? Do you know her and love her well enough to know where she might have gone? Is there any trail or clue to find your way back to her? Are there small things that built up that she hated that you refused to change?
Of course I hope you find a way to make some kind of money whether that be through telemarketing or some kind of desk job that is not too labor intensive for you. I ask that you keep going. If there are people that you need to connect with then do that .At least give yourself permission to search for the inspiration that will help you find your way again. I wish you the best and good luck.
Sincerely,
George Carpenter
Since then I have written my first trilogy of plays, produced them, and acted in the finale. It was the best experience of my life and worth the terrible hardships in the belly of the whale. I graduated with my MFA in Acting and am also working on getting my M.A. in directing as well.
But I have to be honest with you all. My true education has been staring at the blank page. Putting in the miles running and thinking while I run every day about what would work and where. Reading and rereading The War of Art and Turning Pro. Following The Muse to whatever she wants me to read, see, experience, and then create. Fighting the battle anew every day against Resistance. Even when I lose. Especially when I lose. I thank you all for being out there. I pledge anew to fight harder. Until next time.
Thank you Steve for all you have written. I hope one day The Muse shows you not only how impactful your art has been but also all the art you inspired others to make.
Sincerely,
George Carpenter
P.S. My first play was recorded and put on Youtube if anyone wants to check it out.
A group of friends meet up at the end of summer to face the limits of friendship, love, and the cost of being who you need to be. As night descends the lines between dimensions are blurred as shipwreck approaches:
The Final Voyage of The Edmund Fitzgerald: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gd7iMIZ9w9E
There is actually a copy of The War of Art on stage along with Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and The Dark Tower Book IV: Wizard and Glass.
Finally,
This for me is like the note from Tom Guinzburg about Gates of Fire that Mr. Pressfield describes in Turning Pro where Tom says:
“There’s something great in here, Steve. I have confidence that you will find it and bring it out.”
I plan to frame page 357 of The Daily Pressfield and refer to it in all the future trenches I find myself in to keep bringing out the best that The Muse has gifted me.
I wish you all the best in your own artistic wars against Resistance. May you slay the dragon and bring home the gold. We cheer you on. The world needs more meaningful art.
I am so grateful.
Now back to work.
Sincerely,
George Carpenter
Just when I think Steve has come up with so many penetrating insights, he couldn’t possibly do it again, he does it. Again and again!
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