The professional

In my view, the amateur does not love the game enough. If he did, he would not pursue it as a sideline, distinct from his “real” vocation. The professional loves it so much he dedicates his life to it. He commits full-time. That’s what I mean when I say turning Pro. Resistance hates it when we turn Pro.

~ Steven Pressfield

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Anxiety

It is not speaking that breaks our silence, but the anxiety to be heard.

~ Thomas Merton

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The corrections

Education is when you read the fine print. Experience is what you get when you don’t.

~ Pete Seeger

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Pursue your dreams

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you’ve imagined. As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler.

~ Henry David Thoreau

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Pure joy

I cannot believe that the inscrutable universe runs on an axis of suffering; Surely the strange beauty of the world must somewhere rest on pure joy!

~ Louise Bogan

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Grandiose fantasies

Grandiose fantasies are a symptom of Resistance. They’re the sign of an amateur. The professional has learned that success, like happiness, comes as a by-product of work. The professional concentrates on the work and allows rewards to come or not com, whatever they like.

~ Steven Pressfield

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Thoughtful solitude

One hour of thoughtful solitude may nerve the heart for days of conflict—girding up its armor to meet the most insidious foe.

~ Percival

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Understanding

Do not weep; Do not wax indignant. Understand.

~ Baruch Spinoza

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The artist-child

Spending time in solitude with your artist child is essential to self-nurturing. A long country walk, a solitary expedition to the beach for a sunrise or sunset, a sortie out to strange church to hear gospel music, to an ethnic neighborhood to taste foreign sights and sounds—your artist might enjoy any of these. Or your artist might like bowling.

~ Julia Cameron

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A creative life

To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.

~ Joseph Chilton Pearce

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