Work the Do or Do the Work? Figure It Out and Win the Book!

“A child has no trouble believing the unbelievable, nor does the genius or the madman.

“It’s only you and I, with our big brains and our tiny hearts, who doubt and overthink and hesitate.”

– Steven Pressfield

International bestselling author, screenwriter and renowned military historian Steven Pressfield  has a new book out called Do the Work. It’s about how to create and finish anything. A business. A book. A song. A philanthropic venture. Whatever point  you are at on your life’s journey -  take the time to read Do the Work. Because it’s not work. It’s a joy. It’s not long. Takes about an hour to read – if you’re slow like me. It’s not dull, it’s brilliance, wrapped around hard-earned knowledge,  deep inside timeless wisdom.

WIN THE BOOK IF YOU DO THE WORK

We have 25 copies of “Do the Work.” The first 25 to email me with the three magic words (revealed at the end of this post – maybe) will win a copy of Steven Pressfield’s “Do the Work.”

I met Steven Pressfield in  2007 when I interviewed him for an article called “How to Defeat Your Inner Deadbeat. Since then I’ve had the pleasure of doing a couple other articles with him; “Non Vi Sed Arte – Not by Strength, by Guile and “The Power of Resistance.” The breadth, depth, and clarity of Steven’s ideas and writing are unparalleled in today’s world. They don’t teach this stuff in school. I don’t think they can. Some things are just ineffable.

BULL-SHIITAKE

To that, Steven would say, “Bull-Shiitake,” and laugh when he said it. Then he’d say, “You can do it too – just DO THE WORK.” He’s one of the true renaissance writing geniuses of our times. Why do I say that?

I don’t.

HIS WORK DOES

Steven Pressfield has written or co-written 34 screenplays, and is the author of international bestsellers “The Legend of Bagger Vance” (also a movie),; “Gates of Fire, An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopylae,”; “Tide of War,” ; “The Afghan Campaign,”;“Virtues of War,”; “The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Creative Battles,” “Killing Rommel,” and I was going to say his latest book, “THE PROFESSION,” but I really need to say his latest books,”THE PROFESSION,; “Do the Work”; and THE WARRIOR ETHOS”; all released in 2011.

THE SEARCH FOR MEANING, ART & WORK

I first became aware of Steven – not from any of his famous books or movies – but because a writer friend of mine gave me his book “War of Art.” Anyone that has ever met me knows, “art” is not the first word that comes to mind when describing my reading fare. Not the first word, but maybe right after the last word. However, my friend was dogging me out for always spouting off about what a great book should be – short, clear, emotionally powerful, life-changing – and he said “War of Art” was right up there with my all-time favorite, Viktor Frankl’s “Search for Meaning.”

I didn’t believe it. I only read the “War of Art” so I could refute, belittle, and humiliate my well-meaning, but almost-always-wrong, friend about the absurd deficiencies of the book in comparison to “The Search for Meaning.” I read “The War of Art.“  I was wrong. Completely. Utterly. Embarrassingly. It was just as good in a different kind of way.

The Search for Meaning was about finding a way to survive in any environment – even a death camp  – and how to find meaning in it.

The War of Art is about how to find a way to create in any environment – even a boring or bad one – and how to experience meaning while doing it.

Do the Work is a companion to The War of Art. A workbook. A shut up and do-it guide. It treads some of the same turf  as the War of Art. It fights the intractable, implacable, insidious foe of mankind  – Resistance. But it’s also an indispensable guide to winning at business or  life.

NOT TAUGHT AT ANY SCHOOLS

The lessons in Do the Work are not taught at any business school. Couldn’t be. This is  wisdom of the elders secret knowledge type of stuff passed on only by someone who has experienced it. Someone who has seen further, accomplished more, experienced more because … they DID THE WORK.

THREE-CLASS ACTS

Do the Work is a 1-2-3 type process of getting a project accomplished, a book completed, a business started. Music, science, business and writing all seem to follow a similar three act structure. Musicians (which I don’t claim to be – but hack around at it) have the Sonata form which consists of a statement, development and recapitulation.  Scientists use the hypothesis, inference and verification method. Writers focus on three acts; the beginning, middle, and end.

Do the Work shows you DaVinci, the Vietnam Memorial and Facebook – in three acts.

WHO TEACHES THESE GEMS?

What school or teacher would tell you …

• To start before you’re ready?
• To stay stupid?
• To be stubborn?
• To stay primitive?
• To go on a research diet?
• To swing for the seats?
• That the problem is not you … the problem is the problem?

DO THE WORK TEACHES THESE LESSONS

These gems are like master ideas. Once you get them, you never forget. But these ideas and lessons are necessary to get your work done. Any work. They’re also necessary because the creation of any great thing is born in chaos. Not ease.

Babies are born in blood and chaos; stars and galaxies come into being amid the release of massive primordial cataclysms.

The most highly cultured mother gives birth sweating and dislocated and cursing like a sailor.

The hospital room may be spotless and sterile, but birth itself will always take place amid chaos, pain and blood. – Steven Pressfield

It’s not easy. Ever.

It really just boils down to the DO.

The WORK.

THE MAGICAL THREE-WORD PHRASE?

Work the DO.

Do the WORK.

25 COPIES OF DO THE WORK

Now which one of those magical three-word phrases is the right one  to win a copy of Do the Work?

You might be surprised.

You could ask Callie Oettinger, Steven Pressfield’s Rep at callie@o-a-inc.com or on Twitter: @callieoettinger. She might know.

Or you could go for it and send me email me at Skayser@cincom.com with your answer. We have 25 copies of Do the Work ready to ship.

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THEY STOLE THE WORK!

This article was supposed to be published two months ago. Once we received the 25 copies of  Do the Work books they quickly disappeared from our department.  Thieves I tell you.  Well-meaning creative thieves. And I knew each and everyone of the skullduggerous miscreants.

They used an ingenious trick to pilfer a copy right out in the open.

They said they needed to Do Some Work.