Leaving Something on the Table
When Shawn Coyne and I were first brainstorming the business concept behind Black Irish Entertainment, our two-man company that publishes The War of Art and its cousins, we wondered just how ambitious we wanted to be.
We decided, Not all that ambitious.
We agreed it would be okay to leave some money on the table.
This may not be the smartest way to run a business. It’s certainly not the standard American model. By such a model, an entrepreneur would aim to milk every dollar they possibly could from their enterprise. They would scale it. They would max it out. They would take it to the moon.
Maybe I’m crazy but that concept had very little appeal to me.
As an example, if I wanted to take The War of Art “on the road,” I could do speaking gigs, I could produce courses, hold workshops, blah blah etc.
I have no interest in that whatsoever.
I’m happy with the books as books. I’m happy with the audios as audio.
I don’t want to drive myself crazy in order to vacuum up every possible dime.
Like I say, maybe I’m foolish. I feel the same way about “size of life” (if there is such a term.) It’s the American way, I know, when we hit a jackpot of any kind to immediately buy a fancy car, move to an upgraded neighborhood … in other words, to extend ourselves to the outer limits of our wherewithal.
I don’t believe in that either. I remember when Jerry Brown was governor of California—the first time—people used to make fun of him for driving around Sacramento in a state motor pool ’74 Plymouth Satellite. And his girlfriend at the time was Linda Ronstadt!
That’s the simple life. That’s living within your means. That’s my kind of governor.
P.S. For Holiday gifting, we’ve still got a few signed copies of THE DAILY PRESSFIELD … and even a few Special Gift Editions. And of course you can get the unsigned version at Amazon and other online retailers and the audiobook at Audible and other sites. Great for under the tree!
DO THE WORK
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.
THE AUTHENTIC SWING
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.
TURNING PRO
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?"
Amen.
¡Me ha encantado especialmente este post!
Soy de España y vivo y escribo en una cabaña en medio de un bosque.
También ese sería mi tipo de gobernador.
Gracias Steven!
“I have no interest in that whatsoever.“
Love it! I feel as the older I get the more I am saying this.
I’m with Joe –
Amen brother!
I do love my new Purple office these days (Purple Space). And some eagle seems to be landing with extra precision here now, beyond the “Vitória” flying into that nearby SLB stadium. When (if) it will have the precision to dazzle stadiums, it’s a mystery. Even if mandatory by circumstances, anonymity is ever more appealing these days…
Thank you
Thank you, thank you, thank you! Did I say “Thank You!”
Amen. The simple life is beautiful. Living it and loving it. I’ve witnessed the live large mentality. It’s not pretty.
Today’s post was fresh air!
Carpe Diem!!
Such a refreshing perspective, to not want to “vacuum up every possible dime.” Thank you.
This post speaks to a couple of my favorite questions: “How much is enough?” And, “To what end?”
It’s also a beautiful illustration of this story: https://bemorewithless.com/the-story-of-the-mexican-fisherman/
Maureen, I love that story. On a similar note, I’d like to share a shortened real life story. My parents like stuff, Dad especially. Sorting through mounds of their stuff, I came across containers of heavy unidentifiable material. I realized, after finding gold panning equipment, the containers held dirt. Dad collected the dirt on a vacation with intentions to sift it at a later time. Dad passed on in May. We sold that dirt and pan at an estate sale for $43.00. Someone paid money for dirt. Sifting silt along a river would’ve been an actual experience. Sadder still is the time I spent sorting through mounds of stuff could’ve been spent with Dad.
I am rich. I realize time with loved ones is more precious than gold.
So interesting! It reminds me of a woman who, when rushed to the ER with a life-threatening crisis, didn’t worry so much about dying as about the mountains of clutter she’d be burdening her family with.
It’s also a great reminder as we embark on this season of buying more clutter to maybe opt for shared experiences instead.
I’m sorry about your dad.
Ha! Yes I totally agree! It takes so long to get a groove going that works for you , place wise, routine wise, so why mess it up?
My wife and I are about to celebrate 20 years in the same1-bedroom apartment in Hollywood with a view of the Griffith Observatory. The simple life. Very much endorse all of this.
When you put out a book there’s a lot of pressure to do a book trailer, audio book, “street teams”, bookstore tour, conventions, etc etc etc. It can just be a book, if that’s what you want.
What If This Were Enough? by Heather Havrilesky is a great book of essays illustrating this concept.
We are of like mind, Mr. P. When I left the ad agency I worked at long ago I was losing my mind (close to a breakdown) and said to myself I needed to simplify my life – so I started a one-man agency called Les Overhead and felt much better and still do – now 35 years running.
Les Overhead?! Wish I’d thought of that for my music creation space ( a spare bedroom ) My ASCAP I.D. Is Songs After Sundown. I’ll keep you in mind when I need an ad agency. Love it!!!👍
Is a Daily Pressfield: Year 2 coming out?!? I need more ammunition!
Not yet, George. But another in a slightly different vein is on the way!
Thank you so much dear Steve, and a humble thanks to Shawn Coyne too, for all that you brought forth together, and for his special book that I consider to be a hidden diamond.
It is wisdom what you do. To live below your means. And I understand that noone knows if that’s the way, or the “go-all-out” way. I can suppose there’s magic in that other way too, for its very essence brings forth dynamics that can’t be possibly attained through humbleness alone, they *seem* to be the gifts of the starlight road. I would argue though against that kind of all-out, that there lurks this danger greatest of all: it is a beast inside, and beasts want to devour everything (including our work of art) on their path. So if it doesn’t devour everything, it may be a dragon well driven with our bridle. But if it does, and it most probably will, we will lose sight of our real path. I let one such dragon in, these last months, and I barely can hold on to its power, but I also lost the bridle and a lot of energy and chances when it was uncontrollable. And of course there was cost on the “time on the book” too, and it is payed so undergroundly, you don’t even feel it, like you feel Resistance. I wonder, does that dragon when I control it bring help to the book? Moderation in all things or ballance in all things? There’s the question.
Ah, the protagonist of Casablanca and Bruce Dickinson would possibly choose the other way around. Or ballance? I don’t know, I’m not sure.
I thank you for writing this, Steven. I have a small business where myself and others write online. I don’t want to scale either. I start thinking, I need to do so just to keep up with rising costs. It’s crazy. Youh gave me permission to take a breath.
Agree….the simpler my life is the happier I am….
I am impressed with your grounded attitude towards life.
I find myself more impressed by those famous or everyday people who choose to not feel a need to flash their success.
I get it, Steven, and I love the implication. Really effective on me. Thank you.
What is my “governor”? Today I am thinking I only want to court and fund the muse. That’s fancy enough for me. This aesthetic journey offers me plenty of creative riches so long as I can differentiate the false ones from those that are life-giving. Thanks for continuing to renew your commitment to this process. I keep learning from you. Thanks.
“ I’m happy with books as books.”
Yes and yes and yes.
We’ve all got more than we need.
Thank you for reminding us.
Wisdoms we could all benefit from hearing, or perhaps remembering, now <3
The silent, peaceful revolution IS the simple life…. and all the riches that blossom from it.
Hi Steve! I was a footsoldier in the ‘92 Jerry Brown campaign. I had to SEARCH for the Boston Jerry Brown office to sign up. There were possibly a dozen people at the meeting. I was handed a bundle of information and went home to Framingham. The next morning I was about to read all the position papers over my coffee, and the phone rang. The Boston Office called to ask me to fill in for the guy who was supposed to be the Brown rep that morning at Framingham Highschool, and could I take his place? The caller apologized, knew I had just beenat last night’s meeting, but there was no one else to call, so if I could get there, “JUST DO YOUR BEST” I had an hour to get there.
I arrived in time, was seated on the School stage with ALL THE OTHER CANDITATES, not their reps..Talk about heart -in-mouth time. When the Q’s started coming from the students, I was madly shuffeling thru the position leaflet, did my best, and felt rewarded at the end of the session when a pack of students followed me out, still asking Q’s.. When I got home I started going door-to-door, but that meeting experience still stands out for me. In the media, if you will remember, Jerry was the victim of a ground-level photo showing the birds flying overhead, no audience. “JERRY BROWN PREACHING TO THE BIRDS”. Nuff politics…
Wish we had him back!
Hi Steve, I couldn’t agree more! All that extra stuff can totally do your head in, and for why?
You and Shawn Coyne have given so much to this world.
Sorry, I’m not so sure. With today’s climate I am scarred to death. I wish I had more $$ padding behind me. I’m binging on YouTubes to try and figure out how to do that.
My “brush with greatness” was with Gov. Brown (though I think he was the Mayor of Oakland at the time.) He came up to me outside of LAX and asked if I wanted to share a taxi into town. I had a speaking engagement at The Staples Center and he wasn’t going my way. So it didn’t work out. But I thought, “how frugal for a politician…”. I was impressed. Thx for posting….helpful!
Wouldn’t “liiving within your means” make a boring novel plot?
I happily do it, though. And life is not so bad.
The approach to business and life described here values simplicity and contentment over relentless ambition and excess. It’s about finding fulfillment in what you have, rather than constantly chasing more. For those seeking a peaceful getaway, check out this Asta Resort Discount Code to make your next retreat even more fulfilling and affordable.
Unfortunately there are many rooms in our capitalist society that frown on a modest business approach and or mission statement.
There are even .misguided sectors in the socio and psychological fields ,not to mention entrepreneurs who preach,teach,and equate the definition of .modesty with psychopathy. The sky’s the limit! Dream Big! Ruthless Ambition or death! ! If it dont make money,it don’t make cents.So on ! And so forth! Willy loman on .
Meth! Hee….hee…. So I admire ..your. lack of ..what Dr Carl Jung would call INFLATION.!