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The War of Art – Steven Pressfield

BOOK REVIEWS

The War of Art – Steven Pressfield

Book review

Thoughts on overcoming writers-block and procrastination

“The War of Art: Break through the Blocks and Win your Inner Creative Battles” is written by screenwriter Steven Pressfield, author of “The Legend of Bagger Vance”. Pressfield looks at writing and the problems of putting words to paper but offers much value on chronic procrastination for people with ADHD – as Pressfield puts it “Overcoming Resistance”.

Pressfield breaks the book into three sections:
  1. “Resistance: Defining the Enemy” – he identifies Resistance as fear in its endless manifestations. Pressfield demonstrates clearly that he is no stranger to the thoughts that keep the writer from writing
  2. “Combatting Resistance: Turning Pro” – he persuades the reader to attack this form of Resistance head-on, to get on with it and do what the inner you is directing the outer you to do
  3. “Beyond Resistance: Higher Realm”, he talks of muses, angels, higher intelligences and God
You can still be atheist to connect with the sense of amazement, as Aristotle and other ancients did at the mystery of creative expression, where do ideas come from, where does the spark of unique, original artistic expression come from?

Pressfield tells us to open ourselves to the “muses and angels” – the forces we do not understand – and let our creative thoughts out, rather than keep them inside because of fear.
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ADHD Coach, Andrew Lewis

Andrew Lewis

Andrew Lewis is an ADHD Coach, writer and founder of SimplyWellbeing. He has over ten thousand hours and fifteen years of experience in coaching ADHD executives, business professionals and creatives. His expertise with ADHD is personal, with decades of his own experience, bringing up an ADHD child, running a large support group and in coaching clients often for years He has published his writing via this website and has ADHD online courses in development. His business expertise comes from a twenty years career in software, from programming, through marketing, sales and running a few start-ups.

Further reading

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Late, Lost, and Unprepared – Cooper-Kahn & Dietze
A comprehensive look at childhood ADHD through the perspective of executive functions
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Man’s Search for Meaning – Viktor E. Frankl
A profound insight into how meaning gives strength, hope and happiness
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The Blank Slate – Steven Pinker
A book that clearly shows the evidence that genes are far more critical that upbringing to life outcomes
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I Know What I Want, But It’s Not This – Julie Jansen
A career coach takes you through a series of exercises to help you find what you want (and don't) from work
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Magnificent Mind at Any Age – Daniel Amen
Dr. Daniel Amen is turning psychiatry into science, with objective diagnosis based upon SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography) scans to identify brain differences
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Survival Tips for Women with ADHD – Terry Matlen
Helpful strategies for anyone with ADHD
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