How to Overcome Inner Resistance | Steven Pressfield

For years when I was struggling and could never get it together, I realized that at one point that I was just thinking like an amateur, and that if I could flip a switch in my mind and think like a professional, that I c- I could overcome some of the things. A professional shows up every day. A professional stays on the job all day, or with the equivalent of, of all day. A professional, as I said this before, does not take success or failure personally. An amateur will, right? An amateur gets a bad review, bad response of this, and they just crap out, "I don't want to do this anymore." A professional plays hurt. Like, if, uh, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, you know, if they've tweaked a hamstring, they're out there, you know? They'll die before they'll g- be taken off the court. Whereas an amateur, when he or she confronts adversity, will fold.

Mm-hmm.

"Oh, it's too cold out. You know, I've got a, I got a, you know, I've got the flu." Da-da, that kind of thing. An amateur worries about how they feel. Like, "Oh, I don't feel like getting out of bed this morning. I don't feel like really doing my work today." A professional doesn't care how they feel. They, they, they do it. So an amateur has amateur habits, and a professional has professional habits.

(instrumental music plays) Welcome to the Huberman Lab Podcast, where we discuss science and science-based tools for everyday life. I'm Andrew Huberman, and I'm a professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine. My guest today is Steven Pressfield. Steven Pressfield is an author of numerous historical fiction and non-fiction books, including the now iconic War of Art and also the book Do the Work, which both focus on understanding the forces in our minds that barrier us from being our most focused, creative, and productive selves, and more importantly, how to overcome those barriers. Perhaps it's because Steven worked hard physical labor jobs and was in the military prior to becoming a book author and screenwriter, or perhaps it's because he published his first book at age 52, that Steven really understands how to persevere and overcome inner doubt and procrastination and turn creative blocks into important creative works. As you'll hear during today's episode, Steven doesn't talk in inspirational slogans or metaphors. So none of this get after it, or, you know, you just have to do the work. Instead, he gets very concrete about how to structure your day, how to frame your goals and your setbacks, and even how to make your creative environment more conducive to focus and effort. We also talk about how to capture your best ideas, which by the way, often occur away from the work that you're actually trying to do, and how to implement them. So if you have an idea or you're searching for an idea for a creative project to share with the world, this conversation will be immensely useful to you. It will also be extremely useful to anyone who suffers from procrastination and self-doubt, which frankly I think is all of us at some point or another. I read Steven's book, The War of Art, some years ago, and I loved it. It transformed the way that I did my science, how I approached the podcast, and many, many other aspects of life. You'll also notice that at 82 years old, Steven is incredibly sharp and fit. So we talk about his physical regimen and the important role that it plays in keeping his mind active, productive, and overcoming resistance. Steven is not only very accomplished, he's also truly wise and generous. And today, he shares a wealth of practical wisdom with us. Before we begin, I'd like to emphasize that this podcast is separate from my teaching and research roles at Stanford. It is, however, part of my desire and effort to bring zero cost to consumer information about science and science-related tools to the general public. In keeping with that theme, today's episode does include sponsors. And now for my discussion with Steven Pressfield. Steven Pressfield, welcome.