A dear friend lent me a book which I have just finished called The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield and it was life changing! If you haven’t picked this one up yet, I highly recommend it. It’s about breaking through the resistance that stops us from creating the things (and life) we are meant to do. I’ve read many similar books, but this one beats it into you and gives you a good kick in the butt and reality check!
Resistance will try everything to stop you from following through on your dreams through fear, procrastination, distractions, self medication, self doubt etc. This book lays out practical tips for overcoming these (and more), but also gets right into the heart and soul of how we can get past resistance in order to be a professional, as well as tap into our higher realm. It applies to not only artists, but writers and entrepreneurs – anyone who wants to create something. In fact, this is the book that got me to start this blog, something that I’ve wanted to do for a very long time now. The chapters are short and it’s an easy read, so there’s really no excuse!
Anyway, one chapter entitled Life and Death wowed me. It talks about Tom Laughlin (an American actor, director, screenwriter, author, educator and political activist) whose speciality is working with people who have been diagnosed with cancer. His findings are that,
“The moment a person learns he’s got terminal cancer, a profound shift takes place in his psyche. At one stroke in the doctor’s office he becomes aware of what really matters to him. Things that sixty seconds earlier had seemed all important suddenly appear meaningless, while people and concerns that he had till then dismissed at once take on supreme importance.”
Patients realize that working all those long hours in the office didn’t matter and they start to recognize that the people they care about are much more important, as well as the dreams and passions they once had earlier in life. They are faced with asking about the meaning of life. Tom Laughlin says that our consciousness shifts from the Ego (our everyday brain that thinks, plans, and runs the show of our day-to-day life” to the Self which is a greater entity (our dreams, intuitions, “archetypes of the unconscious,” and the “sphere of the soul.”)
Once we realize what is really important, “Superficial concerns fall away, replaced by a deeper, more profoundly grounded perspective.” Tom teaches his cancer patients how to live out their dreams, and when they do, by some sort of miracle, cancers go into remission!
I strongly believe that when we are ill, our bodies are trying to tell us something. Imagine having to be one way (ie. an accountant because your family expected it from you) that was inconsistent to who you really were (a painter), and how much stress (whether we know it or not) that causes on our bodies. Yikes! I think about this a lot. About the Deathbed. Sure, it’s a little morbid perhaps, but it’s SO IMPORTANT for our health and well-being that we live our lives and make choices that are in line with our values and who we want to be.
Please check out this amazing book! http://www.stevenpressfield.com/the-war-of-art/
How would your life change if you found out you had a terminal illness? Let me know in the comments below or send me an email at lessoftheexcess at gmail dot com.
If you liked what you read, please subscribe!
I would no longer hold onto fear of judgement and magnify my focus on my passions and dreams as much as I can just to die with some true dignity and peace. Great Question.
Thanks for the comment Alex! I hope your blog is coming along 😉
I know this is an older post but I just found your blog and love it. I had a series of life changing events this past year that stood up and smacked me in the face. I lost my Mom and Brother in Law, all within 6 weeks of each other. Both literally dropped dead from heart attacks at young ages- 69 and 48. I remember going back to work and thinking “What the heck am I doing?” I could not find my groove in the old life I was in at that moment anymore. It was such a huge shift and I actually thought I was going a little nuts at first. I questioned EVERYTHING- friendships, clothing, career, food, beliefs, etc. It has lead me to resign my corporate job, leave a career field after 20 years and I am starting something completely new. Going back to college at 40, getting back to my minimalist/simple ways and doing it all with a small family with pets, lots of love. I am enjoying getting to know my true self and see how the next chapter in my life write’s itself.
Thanks for sharing your story Heather! I’m so sorry about your loss. It’s definitely something difficult that we all have to face at some point but it sounds like you came out the other side realizing what you value the most in life.
On a positive note, I love hearing how other people have gone through personal changes and have shifted their perspectives. I find it so inspiring, especially when people find the courage to leave a situation they know doesn’t make them happy, like leaving a corporate job. Thanks for the inspiration and thank you for checking out my blog! 🙂