On the Nature of Epiphanies (from "Turning Pro")

From Steven Pressfield's Turning Pro, on the nature of epiphanies:

"We usually think of breakthroughs as ecstatic moments that elevate us from a lower level to a higher. And they do. But there's a paradox. In the moment , an epiphany feels like hell. . . . [A]n epiphany trashes us. It exposes us and leaves us naked. We see ourselves plain, and it's not a pretty picture.

The essence of epiphanies is the stripping away of self-delusion. We thought we were X. Now suddenly we see we're minus-X. We're X divided by infinity.

There is great power in this moment. We've lost something, yes. A cherished self-delusion must be abandoned, and this hurts.

But what we have gained is the truth. Our bullshit falls away. The scales drop from our eyes. In that moment we have two options:

We can reconstitute our bullshit.

Or we can turn pro."



Pressfield, Steven (2012-05-30). Turning Pro (p. 85). Black Irish Books. Kindle Edition.

Trailer for Stoic Week 2013

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amPXUxuDoxA


The Trailer for Stoic Week 2013 - check it out!

The Stoic Handbook - An Interpretation

Here is a link to an interpretation of the Stoic Handbook of Epictetus:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10153551123935164

Check it out if you get a chance. I highly recommend it.

Great quote from "Chronicles of the Black Company"

"There are no self-proclaimed villains, only regiments of self-proclaimed saints. Victorious historians rule where good or evil lies."

Cook, Glen (2007-11-13). Chronicles of the Black Company (p. 78). Tom Doherty Associates. Kindle Edition.

"How Your Mind Changes When You Turn Pro"

From Steven Pressfield's Turning Pro:

"Turning pro is like kicking a drug habit or stopping drinking. It's a decision, a decision to which we must re-commit every day.

Twelve-step programs say "One Day at a Time." The professional says the same thing.

Each day, the professional understands, he will wake up facing the same demons, the same Resistance, the same self-sabotage, the same tendencies to shadow activities and amateurism that he has always faced.

The difference is that now he will not yield to those temptations. He will have mastered them, and he will continue to master them."

Pressfield, Steven (2012-05-30). Turning Pro (p. 74). Black Irish Books. Kindle Edition.

Before and After Turning Pro

From Steven Pressfield's Turning Pro: 

"Before we turn pro, our life is dominated by fear and Resistance. We live in a state of denial. We're denying the voice in our heads. We're denying our calling. We're denying who we really are.

We're fleeing from our fear into an addiction or a shadow career. What changes when we turn pro is we stop fleeing.

Be brave, my heart [ wrote the poet and mercenary, Archilochus]. Plant your feet and square your shoulders to the enemy. Meet him among the man-killing spears. Hold your ground. 

When we turn pro, we stop running from our fears. We turn around and face them."
.


Pressfield, Steven (2012-05-30). Turning Pro (p. 71). Black Irish Books. Kindle Edition.

What Happens When We "Turn Pro"

From Steven Pressfield's Turning Pro:

"What happens when we turn pro is, we finally listen to that still, small voice inside our heads. At last we find the courage to identify the secret dream or love or bliss that we have known all along was our passion, our calling, our destiny."

Pressfield, Steven (2012-05-30). Turning Pro (p. 70). Black Irish Books. Kindle Edition.