Do the Work: Overcome Resistance & Achieve Success - Motivational Book for Entrepreneurs & Self-Improvement | Perfect for Business Owners & Personal Growth

I read The War of Art (Steven's previous book on this subject) last year, and I loved it. Recently I picked up the audiobook and listened it through, and I loved it the second time, too. I have the occasional small disagreement with Pressfield's worldview, but never enough to take issue with his approach -- and The War of Art has been an enormously positive influence on my mindset and my work (over and over). I was excited when I saw that Do the Work was coming down the line, and my feelings on it are almost entirely positive.An interesting note: As of this writing, all the 1-star reviews for Do the Work are about someone having received this book without ordering it. Some may have hit the pre-order button when the ebook was free and then forgotten; some may in fact have received it as a glitch on Amazon's part. But those negative reviews still have to do with the delivery system, not the actual content of the book. This seems a bad basis for a book review. So my review is about the content. ^_^I am surprised to have found that it's NOT necessary to read The War of Art before reading Do the Work. Pressfield periodically reflects back to The War of Art for important preceding information (which he repeats, rather than just referencing), and a new reader will enjoy this book just as much if she reads it first instead of second. (I love this, because of course it makes it easier for me to recommend the book to others.) And even as someone who'd read The War of Art originally, the repeated bits (surprisingly!) didn't annoy me; they only served to reinforce the material, which was a nice effect.Do the Work is like a workbook -- like a seasoned veteran holding your hand through trial and tribulation. Read it from cover to cover, but then pick up any project and let it guide you from beginning to the end. Through Resistance's clutches and out the other side!Pressfield says in the beginning that Do the Work is created in the parlance of writing, but I'm not sure that warning was needed -- he gives dozens of non-writing-related examples throughout the entire book. He may have started with writing, but from my perspective, the book has very little bias towards writing projects.A few of my favorite parts throughout: The section on creative panic. His in-depth description of the (imagined) creative crash of Herman Melville on the way to completing Moby Dick. (This made me giggle.) And Pressfield's bit of graduation speech at the end? Quite an excellent experience!If I have any issue with Do the Work, it's that Pressfield begins by describing the artist's territory as fundamentally adversarial. Later on, it becomes more clear why he might be doing this -- Navy SEALs are put through as much hell as possible early on, to see if they will give up the fight before actual lives are at stake. Is it possible that he is putting the reader in this position, too? Art often IS war. The down and dirty, in-the-trenches, professionals-only quality of The War of Art is why I fell in love with Pressfield a year ago. As Do the Work progressed, I found him just as willing to describe the surprising benefits and creative power of ASSISTANCE as he was to describe the fundamental malignancy and evil of RESISTANCE. So in the end, I was cool with it. It served a purpose.There is no sugar-coating here. There's LOTS of powerful mojo. Artists are well-served by the warrior mindset, and in the end, Pressfield is creating warriors with this book.