‘The War of Art’ Author Steven Pressfield on Conquering Fear, Self-Doubt, and Procrastination
Finding Mastery with Dr. Michael Gervais
Dr. Michael Gervais
4.7 • 1.7K Ratings
🗓️ 8 January 2025
⏱️ 81 minutes
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Summary
Is the real battle for mastery fought outside of us—or within—and what does it take to win that fight every day?
I’m so excited for this week’s guest, Steven Pressfield. Steven is a bestselling author and thought leader on creativity, known for his groundbreaking works like The War of Art and The Legend of Bagger Vance.
Steven’s journey is a testament to perseverance—he didn’t publish his first novel until he was 52—and his story proves that it’s never too late to embrace your calling. In this conversation, Steven and I dive deep into the nature of Resistance—how it manifests as fear, procrastination, or self-doubt—and what it takes to overcome it. We explore the concept of the “unlived life” and the metaphor of the “underground river” that represents our innate talents and passions. Steven shares his insights on creativity as a sacred connection, how to discover your purpose, and why living authentically is one of life’s greatest battles.
Whether you’re a writer, entrepreneur, athlete, or anyone on the path to mastery, I think you’ll find Steven’s perspective both grounding and inspiring.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | What is resistance and how does it keep us from living the life we're meant to live? |
| 0:05.7 | Welcome back or welcome to the Finding Mastery podcast where we dive into the minds of the world's |
| 0:11.0 | greatest thinkers and doers. I am your host, Dr. Michael Jervais, by trade and training a high |
| 0:16.5 | performance psychologist. I am so excited for this week's guest, Stephen Pressfield. |
| 0:22.1 | Stephen is a best-selling author and a thought leader on creativity, known for his groundbreaking |
| 0:27.1 | works like the War of Art and the Legend of Bagger Vance. With decades of hard-earned wisdom, |
| 0:34.1 | he explores the themes of overcoming resistance, discovering purpose, and tapping into the |
| 0:39.4 | creative flow that exists within us all. So with that, let's get right into this conversation |
| 0:45.4 | with the legend, Stephen Pressfield. |
| 0:53.5 | Stephen. |
| 0:54.8 | Michael. |
| 0:55.8 | I, it feels like a real treat to have you here. |
| 1:00.3 | And, you know, be careful what you wish for because of my, my appreciation for your work and how you've shaped ideas and where you come from is so rich and so honest. |
| 1:15.6 | Part of me is hoping that, but that's not burst in our conversation. |
| 1:20.5 | And the other half is like, I just can't wait to better understand how you use. |
| 1:24.7 | Thanks, Mike, thanks for having me. |
| 1:26.0 | And like I just were saying before it started rolling, I'm very impressed with anybody that can put together an outfit |
| 1:32.3 | and an organization and actually have more people instead of, you know, I'm just one person |
| 1:36.8 | in a room by myself, you know? So I, my hat's off to you for all the stuff that you've done. |
| 1:42.2 | Oh, thank you. Like I- Particularly this've done oh thank you like I particularly this new |
| 1:44.3 | venture here yeah I really appreciate it thank you thank you you you know what I thought we |
| 1:48.6 | would do is start with like I was saying is that your ideas um the place that they come from |
... |
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