The Power of Creativity \(Book 1\): Learning How to Build Lasting Habits, Face Your Fears and Change Your Life pdfdrive com

Fight Depression and Eliminate Stress
Steven Pressfield wrote in Turning Pro when the professional artist is in pain, he
or  she  takes  “two  aspirin  and  keeps  on  trucking”,  but  even  he  would  agree  it’s
easier to work on your ideas when you’re not in pain.
The  good  news  is  intense  physical  exercise  like  running  helps  you  lose

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weight, fight disease and sleep better, and when you are physically and mentally
healthier, you are better able to concentrate on your ideas.
If good health isn’t enough reason to run, anyone who trains several times a
week experiences a runner’s high, which I can vouch for. The natural feel-good
endorphins  that  running  releases  carry  over  after  you’ve  finished,  into  your
work.
When I run five or ten kilometres, the chair, my computer, the keyboard, the
blank screen, and the flashing cursor all become irresistible.
You might be thinking,
Stop, I hate running!
Swap  running  for  any  aerobic  activity,  and  you’ll  get  all  the  benefits  listed
above.
You can swim, cycle, box, golf, row, ski, dance, play tennis or squash hike or
even cut grass, and still become a more productive and creative writer.
Letting Go
I discovered meditation before being fired.
I first considered it a way to focus on work and become a model employee.
But  then  I  found  myself  without  a  job,  and  the  intimidating  red  cushion
demanded, “Sit!”.
I refused to sit for weeks.
To  sit  and  look  inwards,  to  face  my  anxiety  and  disappointment  when  I
should have been working and writing struck me as preposterous.
Damn that cushion!
One  day  I  received  a  rejection  for  a  new  job  I  was  perfect  for.  I  brooded
about it all day, and I argued with my wife about money that evening. Later that
night, I tossed and turned in bed and considered who had wronged me.
At  3:00  a.m.,  I  got  up,  went  downstairs  and  sat  on  the  large  red  cushion.  I
clasped  my  hands,  took  a  deep  breath  and  closed  my  eyes.  I  meditated  on  the
faces of my family and thanked them for their support. I meditated on the faces
of people I worked with, and I wished them well in their careers.

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Finally, I meditated on the face of my boss. I could see his pale, lined face,
his crisp white shirt and his dark wavy hair. My hands tightened, my foot began
to ache, and a line of sweat ran down the small of my back.
“I forgive you for letting me go,” I said.
I  won’t  lie.  Ten  minutes  of  meditation  didn’t  siphon  all  my  anger,  but  it
pierced a hole, and enough eased out that I could sleep.
Finding meaningful employment took another six months.
Several weeks into a new role in a profession I didn’t expect, I thought of my
old  boss  and  the  pressure  he  was  under  from  his  boss.  In  my  journal,  I  wrote
about how he didn’t have to give me holiday pay or write me a good reference
and of how he did all of those things.
Through the one thing I knew how to do before I was fired and the one thing
I kept trying to do after I was fired – writing – I saw my mistakes for what they
were and the role for what it was: One I wasn’t built for. And it was OK.
I could learn to let go too.