🎯 All Moments (63)
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Writing with the Reader in Mind: Avoiding Boredom and Repetition
Steven Pressfield explains his process of writing while constantly considering the reader's understanding and engagement, aiming to make the text easy, interesting, and fun without directly 'conversing' with them.
The 'One-Hit Wonder' Phenomenon
Andrew Huberman discusses the common 'one-hit wonder' phenomenon in entertainment, citing the movie 'That Thing You Do' as a prime example of bands or artists who achieve sudden fame with a single success but then disappear.
How Present is the Reaper in Your Process?
Andrew Huberman asks Steven Pressfield how aware he is of his own mortality and whether this awareness is useful. Steven shares an anecdote about a friend who thinks about his own death 'every minute of every day,' highlighting extreme perspectives on this motivator.
External Validation: A Seductive Enemy
Steven Pressfield unequivocally states that he views external validation as a 'seductive thing' that will always pull individuals in the wrong direction, emphasizing the importance of internal self-assessment over outside praise or criticism.
'You're a Professional': The Trucking Boss Who Taught Discipline
Steven Pressfield shares a pivotal story about his trucking company boss, Hugh Reeves, who, after Pressfield made a costly mistake, imparted a powerful lesson on professionalism: your job is to deliver the load, regardless of personal drama. This moment highlights the importance of separating personal issues from professional responsibility.
No Regrets: Choosing the Creative Life
Steven Pressfield reflects on the sacrifices he's made for his creative calling, including not having children, and expresses no regret. He views these choices as 'the nature of the game' for the life he's chosen, drawing a parallel to a powerful scene from 'The Godfather Part Two.'
Why Perfectionism Can Lead to Fraud (and How to Beat It)
Andrew Huberman discusses how the pressure for 'landmark papers' can lead to scientific fraud, emphasizing the importance of finishing and publishing work even if it's not 'everything.'
The Balance of Perfectionism and Shipping
This moment discusses the fine line between striving for improvement in creative work and the necessity of completing and releasing it. It highlights how extreme perfectionism can hinder progress, while also acknowledging the value of making things better.
Perfectionism as a Form of Resistance
Steven Pressfield defines perfectionism as a direct manifestation of 'resistance,' a self-sabotaging force that keeps creators from completing their work. He warns that it's a tactic that wastes time and must be avoided.
The Power of a Great Title
Andrew Huberman and Steven Pressfield discuss the critical importance of a compelling title for any creative work. They highlight examples like 'Eat, Pray, Love' and 'The Body Keeps the Score' as titles that deeply resonate and contribute significantly to a work's impact and longevity.
Steve Jobs' Mortality as a Driver for Innovation
Andrew Huberman discusses how Steve Jobs's early awareness of his own mortality was a significant driver for his intense creative drive and ability to challenge conventions, ultimately leading to the creation of revolutionary products.
No Phone, No Music: The Key to Deep Work
Steven Pressfield shares his strict rules for eliminating distractions during writing sessions, emphasizing the importance of focus for creative work, including no phone, no internet, and no music.
Proving Them Wrong: An Unconscious Driver
Steven Pressfield shares a deeply personal story about an unconscious driver in his life: the desire to prove his extended family wrong about his struggling father. This ambition, rooted in honoring his dad, propelled him forward for many years, even when he wasn't consciously aware of it.
Adaptive Resistance: The Power of Friction and Competition
Andrew Huberman explores how 'friction' or competition with others can act as an adaptive form of resistance, propelling individuals forward. He uses the Joker/Batman dynamic as an example, but cautions that this adrenaline-driven motivation can also be depleting.
Famous Rivalries That Fueled Greatness
Andrew Huberman uses iconic rivalries like Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, and Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, to illustrate how competition can drive individuals to achieve greater things, even if it starts as a desire to prove oneself against an opponent.
The Toxic Side of a 'Chip on Your Shoulder'
Steven Pressfield discusses how many professional athletes are driven by a 'chip on their shoulder,' but warns that this type of competitive motivation can become toxic. He emphasizes the importance of self-reflection and forgiveness to manage its negative effects.
The Purity of Love of Craft
Andrew Huberman reflects on his current motivation, which stems purely from a 'love of craft' rather than external competition. He notes that while past competitive drives sometimes brought out his best, they also made the creative process much more painful.
The Diminishing Impact of Feedback Over Time
Andrew Huberman explains that while negative feedback can initially hurt, especially when one's name is attached to a project, the sheer volume of feedback received over time eventually lessens its impact. Both positive and negative comments blend into 'noise,' making it easier to detach.
David O. Russell Films Show Family Sabotage in Action
Steven Pressfield references David O. Russell's movies The Fighter and Joy as prime examples of how individuals pursuing their callings often face sabotage and ridicule from their closest family members, who wish to keep them 'safe' or unconsciously undermine their success.
The Dopamine Trap of Success
Andrew Huberman explains the hardwired dopamine circuitry in the brain: after a big success, subsequent achievements won't feel as rewarding unless they surpass the previous one. This creates a challenging dynamic for sustained satisfaction in creative endeavors.
From Advertising to Bestselling Author: Steven Pressfield's Accidental Start
Steven Pressfield shares his personal story of not being a born writer, starting in advertising, and being inspired by a boss's success to pursue novel writing, highlighting that creative paths aren't always linear or planned.
Focus on Your Best, Not External Results
Steven Pressfield advises against over-analyzing the success or failure of creative works, as outcomes are often influenced by uncontrollable factors like timing and promotion. He argues that the only true measure is whether you 'did your best' and views his work as a lifelong practice.
The Surprising Nature of Creative Inspiration
Steven Pressfield describes his creative process as a continuous surprise, where ideas for books 'present themselves' as if 'from the goddess,' rather than fitting into a planned trajectory. This highlights a more mystical and intuitive approach to creativity.
High Achievement and the Unbalanced Life
Andrew Huberman discusses the American cultural emphasis on high achievement and the message that anyone can succeed. He argues that reaching a 'high peak' by definition requires an unbalanced life, using the example of Edmund Hillary climbing Everest to illustrate this reality.
Complaining is Resistance: Building Mental Durability Through Discomfort
Andrew Huberman suggests that Steven Pressfield's background in physical labor and marine training has built mental durability, allowing him to tolerate discomfort. Pressfield agrees, stating he never complains and views complaining as another form of 'resistance,' reinforcing the link between physical and mental toughness.
King Kong Lives: Learning from an Embarrassing Flop
Steven Pressfield recounts the humiliating failure of his first movie, 'King Kong Lives,' which was critically panned. He shares a profound piece of advice he received—'you're in the arena, man'—which helped him find gratitude in the experience despite the pain and embarrassment.
The Uncomfortable Truth: Why Your Creative Chair Shouldn't Be Cozy
Steven Pressfield and Andrew Huberman discuss the counterintuitive idea that discomfort can be beneficial for creativity. Pressfield prefers a non-comfortable chair, and Huberman shares why he believes recommending a *comfortable* chair is 'terrible advice,' arguing that creature comforts and over-optimization can detract from genuine creation, citing the Huberman Lab podcast's humble beginnings in a closet.
Think Like a Professional: The Key to Overcoming Struggle
Steven Pressfield explains the critical difference between an amateur and a professional mindset. He highlights how professionals show up daily, don't take failure personally, play hurt, and act regardless of how they feel. This is a foundational concept for anyone looking to achieve their goals.
Why Steven Pressfield's 4:45 AM Gym Routine is a 'Rehearsal for Resistance'
At 82 years old, Steven Pressfield explains his consistent 4:45 AM gym routine isn't just for physical health, but a "rehearsal" for facing the resistance of creative work. He views it as a "little success" that builds momentum, acknowledging he hates getting up early but regrets it on days he skips.
The Advertising Lesson: Make It So Good They Can't Resist
Steven Pressfield explains that his time in advertising taught him a fundamental lesson for all creative work: 'Nobody wants to read your [__]'. He stresses the need to make content so compelling that it overcomes the audience's natural resistance.
The Whisper of Your Calling: How to Find What You're Meant to Do
Steven Pressfield discusses how our true calling, often hidden or resisted, reveals itself not as a grand revelation but through the act of creation. He addresses the pressure to 'find your passion' and suggests that everyone has at least one calling, even if they feel lost.
Suppressing Your Calling Leads to Malignant Channels
Steven Pressfield reveals the dire consequences of failing to act on your soul's calling. He explains that suppressed creative energy doesn't disappear but transforms into destructive behaviors like addiction, abuse of self or others, and other vices.
Forget Nirvana: Your Calling is Hard Work and No Guarantees
Steven Pressfield debunks the common personal development promise of 'nirvana' for following your passion. He offers a grounded truth: pursuing your calling means a 'hell of a lot of hard work' that may never be externally rewarded, but ensures you're on your soul's true path.
Huberman's 'Geyser' Moment: Why He Started the Podcast
Andrew Huberman recounts the intense internal pressure he felt after 25 years of neuroscience research, describing it as an overwhelming need to 'explode' and share his knowledge. He explains how this led to the creation of his podcast, emphasizing the power of something building up so much that it *has* to come out.
Why Loved Ones Can Be Your Biggest Source of Resistance
Andrew Huberman and Steven Pressfield explore the phenomenon of family and friends, driven by genuine concern for your safety and security, inadvertently discouraging you from pursuing your true calling. This moment highlights the psychological entanglement of wanting to keep people 'where they know they can find us.'
Is Political Anger a Distraction from Your True Calling?
Steven Pressfield offers a provocative idea: much of today's political anger and polarization stems from people avoiding their true calling, finding it easier to engage in external conflict than internal work.
Why Society Resists Your Unique Path
Steven Pressfield explains that humans are evolved tribal creatures, and the 'tribe' naturally resists anyone who 'goes his own way' or deviates from collective norms. This inherent societal pressure makes it incredibly challenging to follow your calling and forge an individual path.
Huberman's Skateboarding Revelation: The Illusion of Personal Taste
Andrew Huberman recounts how, after being ridiculed for wearing baggy shorts as a skateboarder, the same style became mainstream through rock and hip-hop. This experience led him to realize that many people's 'likes' are merely reflections of peer pressure rather than genuine personal taste, making the general public a 'wrong signal.'
Why the General Public is the 'Absolute Wrong Signal' for Your Life
Andrew Huberman emphasizes the critical distinction between seeking guidance from mentors and being swayed by the general public, asserting that the crowd is the 'absolute wrong signal' for personal direction.
Never 'Pull the Pin': A Lesson on Finishing What You Start
Steven Pressfield recounts a transformative experience with a mentor, a fellow fruit picker and former Marine, who taught him the crucial lesson of never 'pulling the pin'—a railroad term for quitting too soon. This story illustrates the power of commitment and how finishing one difficult project can break a lifelong pattern of giving up.
The Unshipped Novel: A Cautionary Tale of Resistance
Steven Pressfield shares a poignant story about a friend who wrote a deeply personal novel but died without ever sending it to his agent, paralyzed by the fear of response and judgment. This serves as a powerful illustration of how perfectionism and fear can prevent creative work from ever seeing the light of day.
Confronting Mortality to Stop Wasting Time
Andrew Huberman shares his theory that a strong sense of one's mortality is an incredible driver for productivity, contrasting it with addiction as an attempt to avoid death. He reflects on his own realization at 50 that he's at the 'halfway mark,' which has led him to stop wasting time.
Judge Your Own Work: The Professional Mindset
Steven Pressfield advises against letting external feedback dictate your perception of your work. He champions judging your own efforts and, echoing Paul Rink, encourages professionals to 'start the next one today,' emphasizing that true professionals don't take success or failure personally.
My Big Break: Why Most People Blow It
Andrew Huberman highly recommends the documentary 'My Big Break,' revealing its core insight: most people who get their 'big break' fail not due to lack of talent, but because they can't handle the success, allowing it to derail their creative process or core essence.
Jack Johnson's Daily Practice of Self-Regulation
Andrew Huberman shares an inspiring story about his college friend, musician Jack Johnson, who developed conscious methods like daily chores (e.g., cleaning the toilet) to humble himself and self-regulate, preventing his immense success from overwhelming his essence or creative process.
Personal Sacrifice: The Cost of a Creative Calling
Steven Pressfield asserts that personal sacrifice, particularly in relationships, is often necessary for successful artists. He openly states his disbelief in 'work-life balance' for those who pursue their calling 'with both feet,' acknowledging it leads to an unbalanced life.
Finding Peace and Purpose Through Your Craft
Steven Pressfield describes being driven by an internal force towards creative works. He shares that only through pursuing his craft did he find 'peace of mind' and feel he 'earned his place on the planet,' a fulfillment he couldn't find in other endeavors.
Flipping the Switch: Amateur vs. Professional Mindset
Steven Pressfield explains his concept of 'Resistance' as an internal tendency to self-sabotage and how he overcame it by consciously 'turning pro' and adopting a professional mindset rather than an amateur one.
Become the CEO of Your Own Work: The 'Turning Pro' Mindset Shift
Steven Pressfield explains how thinking of himself as the CEO of a corporation, rather than just the person doing the work, helped him overcome shyness and detach from failures. Andrew Huberman connects this to the broader idea of taking oneself seriously.
Channeling the Muse: Where Creative Ideas Truly Come From
Steven Pressfield articulates his belief that creative ideas originate from a 'higher plane' and come *through* artists rather than *from* them. He describes the creative life as a two-sided endeavor: practical discipline and the spiritual 'invocation of the muse' to channel this 'voltage' of inspiration.
Life is Long: A Counter to the 'Life is Short' Mentality
Steven Pressfield shares a powerful insight from a former boss: 'people tell you that life is short, but really life is long.' He argues that believing life is short can be a form of resistance, leading to procrastination, whereas a long-term view encourages continuous work, growth, and evolution.
The Counterintuitive Rule of High Performance: Shorter, More Intense Workouts
Andrew Huberman explains how neuroscience and resistance training principles show that as you get better at any activity, your nervous system becomes more efficient. This leads to a counterintuitive rule for high performance: the better you get, the shorter and more intense your "workouts" (whether physical, creative, or mental) should be, like a knife getting sharper, allowing deeper cuts with less effort.
How a Pro Writer Silences the Inner Critic and Masters Multiple Drafts
Steven Pressfield reveals his disciplined writing process: he almost never lets the inner critic interfere, a skill learned over years. He never rereads his work at the end of the day, instead focusing on "multiple drafts" (sometimes 15 for a book). He emphasizes that quality comes later, and the goal is simply to put in the time and effort, stopping when mistakes begin, to avoid perfectionism and burnout.
The Social Cost of Taking Yourself Seriously
Andrew Huberman shares a personal anecdote about the non-monetary cost of 'turning pro' – the negative reactions and flack from friends when he became more disciplined and serious about his goals, highlighting how others can feel pressure from your self-improvement.
The Counterintuitive Truth About Resistance and Your Soul's Growth
Steven Pressfield discusses his iconic quote, "The more important to your soul's growth, the stronger the resistance will be." He explains why projects truly vital to your personal evolution are the hardest, manifesting as fear and procrastination, and advises embracing the work you fear most.
Why It's Harder Than Ever to Do Your Important Work Today
Andrew Huberman and Steven Pressfield agree that the modern world is a 'minefield' of resistance. They discuss how external distractions (anger, numbing out, 'free' content that costs our soul) and internal resistance from well-meaning loved ones make it incredibly difficult to sit down and do the work that truly matters.
The Two Greatest Threats to Creativity: Anger and Numbing Out
Andrew Huberman pinpoints 'anger' and 'numbing out' as the most dangerous threats to the creative process and doing important work. He argues that modern society offers numerous ways to engage in these, often deceptively 'for free,' costing us our time and soul.
Why Your Loved Ones Unconsciously Sabotage Your Dreams
Steven Pressfield delves deeper into the resistance from loved ones, suggesting that their attempts to dissuade you can be an unconscious 'reproach' stemming from their own unfulfilled callings. He describes how this can lead to subtle sabotage, often under the guise of concern.
Never Be the Big Fish in a Small Pond: Raise Your Standards
Andrew Huberman emphasizes the importance of surrounding oneself with high-achieving individuals, citing the Stanford environment and the advice to 'never be the big fish in a small pond' as crucial for accelerating personal growth and raising one's standards. He also notes how social media can help find such mentors.
Key Habits of a True Professional (Kobe Bryant, Tom Brady)
Steven Pressfield outlines the essential characteristics of a professional, contrasting them with amateur tendencies. He uses examples of elite athletes like Kobe Bryant and Tom Brady to illustrate the discipline, resilience, and detachment required.
The 3-Second Test: Identifying Your Calling & The Resistance That Follows
Steven Pressfield introduces the '3-second test' to instantly reveal your true calling, then explains how inner resistance immediately counters this urge with self-doubt and fear of inadequacy. He also highlights how even loved ones can become voices of resistance.
Full-Time Writer's Secret: Two Focused Hours a Day is Equivalent
Steven Pressfield, a full-time writer, reveals that he only gets about two hours of focused writing time per day. He offers powerful motivation to aspiring writers with full-time jobs and families: if you can consistently squeeze out a couple of focused hours a day, you are operating at the same level as a dedicated professional writer.
Your Calling: A Self-Replenishing Source of Dopamine
Andrew Huberman observes Steven Pressfield's youthful vigor, attributing it to his pursuit of his calling. He describes this as a 'neverending source of dopamine' that is 'self-replenishing,' highlighting the profound link between purpose and sustained well-being.