January: Best intentions head south.

Sound familiar? Whether you are a writer or your creativity takes another form, it sure is easy to let it slide… This is the perfect time of year to share my favorite creativity secret weapon. It’s the magic little book entitled The War of Art, by Steven Pressfield.

It’s both totally practical and highly inspirational. I use it like “Angel Cards,” meaning I open a page at random and find, inevitably, that it speaks to me that day. Powerful and wonderful.

My tidbit for you today is from this chapter: “A Professional Endures Adversity.”

“The professional keeps his eye on the doughnut and not on the hole. He reminds himself it is better to be in the arena, getting stomped by the bull, than to be up in the stands or out in the parking lot.”

How’s that for great advice? I can always rely on this book to get me back on track.

A snippet of the back jacket blurb says this: “Steven Pressfield shows readers how to identify, defeat, and unlock the inner barriers to creativity.” Front cover praise from Esquire: “A vital gem … a kick in the ass.” I couldn’t put it better myself.

If you don’t have this book, get it. You need your creativity for the real fun in life—and unless you fight through the naturally rising Resistance, you’ll never get to it. You’re not lazy, or bad, or too stupid, or any of those other things you call yourself when you don’t write, or practice, or exercise, or… whatever. It’s just Resistance. It’s natural, and you have to fight it—like everyone else. The War of Art can help.

P.S. In support of my creativity, I am switching the frequency of this newsletter to every other week (for the time being.) If you like hearing from me every week, be sure to sign on for my coaching newsletter here — I will be alternating the two.