Reddit reviews Do the Work

I came here to say this too. A friend who has written and published two memoirs keeps a notebook just for new ideas, If something occurs to her, out comes that notebook, then back it goes so she can get back on track.

And is there something else going on? The new story is always shiny, uncomplicated, not bogged down by the actual effort of making it happen. Being deep into the details of the second act is just not as sexy as fleshing out a new character or problem.

So part of the answer is just to do the work. Check out The War of Art or Do the Work by Steven Pressfield - two books that seriously pulled me out of depression and got me busting ass on my projects again.

Meditation in general is great for being more creative, since coming up with new ideas is something that can not be directly forced. I earn my living as an professional illustrator and I almost never come up with good ideas if I panic or start thinking about that I HAVE to come up with a good concept.

You CAN`T force good ideas, you can only "show up" each day and work hard, very similar to how you can´t force yourself to sleep or force yourself to relax. Meditation can teach you that the only thing you can do is "show up" and create the right circumstances, and then let go and watch the procress unfold. Creativity works in a very similar way.

Fear of failure is the biggest mental roadblock for any kind of creative endevour. Meditation will help you realize that your doubts and fears are just thoughts, illusions, mental constructs. Once you can see past of all that baggage, you can start truly being creative without losing all that energy to the useless friction and resistance.

I also highly recommend this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Do-Work-Steven-Pressfield/dp/1936719010

off the top of my head:

Meditations, with The Inner Citadel as a reader

Letters from a Stoic

A Guide to the Good Life by Irvine

Do The Work by Pressfield as well as The War of Art by Pressfield

Managing Oneself by Ducker

Man's Search for Meaning by Frankl

What Predicts Divorce by Gottman

Nicomachean Ethics

Models by Manson seems to be popular on reddit

So Good They Can't Ignore You by Newport, as well

I'm currently reading Triumphs of Experience by Vaillant and find it insightful.

This link and book can be resourceful for you:

https://www.reddit.com/r/edmproduction/comments/1mwb06/rutbusting_or_how_to_get_out_of_your_head_become/

http://www.amazon.com/Do-Work-Steven-Pressfield/dp/1936719010/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Basically stop thinking and make whatever you want, even if its trash. The reason you used to be able to make different stuff and cant now is that youve gotten better and thus more cerebral, youve gotten so good at making trap that any attempt to make anything else doesn't last because it sucks in comparison, stop comparing and make whatever you want.

Let me try to get you started

First off, let's start with some Seth Godin, dude's got some stuff figured out subscribe to his blog, but for right now pick up a copy of The Dip, or better yet read this summary or better yet read the whole thing.

That book is about finding something that you can be best in the world in, so do just that. The world needs you to do something, to be a part of something, that is better than everything else. There is too much mediocrity, too much good enough, you need to shoot for great. So yeah, start today.

When you have decided what you are going to be the best in the world at, get a copy of Do The Work. This book will basically walk you through your whatever it is (novel, event, business plan, etc.). The big thought here is that once you start you're going to hit a thing called resistance. Resistance is what is going to pull you back down to normalcy whenever you try to do something great. Expect it, respect it, but don't let it stop you.

If you want more stuff to read check out the Art of Non-Conformity and the Guide to World Domination. Outliers is good for understanding how much failure accompanies success.

I'll just leave this right here.

cracks knuckles

Here's my top /insert quantity here/. I read these all regularly (most once a year, some of the smaller ones, once a quarter), and listen to them during my commute more than is perhaps strictly healthy (might as well make good use of the time.)

• The Richest Man In Babylon by George S. Classon (Great book about money management, but also very useful inspiration for digging yourself out of a hole. The audiobook is particularly well read.) "Die in the desert? NOT I!"
  
• Think And Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. The title is a little bit misleading and the language, being almost 100 years old, is a little hokey. But don't let that stop you. Every self-help/success/motivational book written since this contains a small fragment of the information that's in here.
  
• As A Man Thinketh by James Allen. This is a tiny little book. But it's absolutely impeccable. It would be easier to call it a work of philosophy than anything else. But it distills everything down so very well that it can't be ignored. The unabridged audio version (from Brilliance Audio) is exceptional, and only about an hour long. I just re-listened to this on my way home today.
  
• Success Through A Positive Mental Attitude also by Napoleon Hill with W. Clement Stone I came across this before I read Think And Grow Rich, so maybe I have a soft spot for it. But it's one of the few that I read pretty frequently.
  
• Shut Up, Stop Whining, and Get A Life by Larry Winget. Larry's awesome. He's written a lot of books and they all say more or less the same thing, so I couldn't really recommend more than one of them, though I think I've read 6 or 7. He doesn't pull punches and he doesn't coddle.
  
• Do The Work by Steven Pressfield. This one is relatively new to me. I just finished it yesterday. It's a great little work about Resistance; the things that get in our way when we set out on a project, big or small. He talks in a pretty practical way about the phases of bringing an idea to life and the setbacks that seem strangely common to most endeavors. His writing is a little unrefined an colloquial. But I found it refreshing. I highly recommend it.
  
• How To Read A Person Like A Book by Gerald Nierenberg Since you mentioned body language specifically, this is my favorite. It's been a long time since I've read it. But it was extremely enlightening.
  
  That ought to do it. It's really all there. Plus, if you start searching around through that kind of stuff, you'll undoubtedly find more that you're drawn to for one reason or another.
  
  There are a couple well known names that are intentionally absent. Tony Robbins, for one. Tony is keen to blow sunshine up your ass so that you buy his next book, bigger program, seminar, etc. If that's the kind of thing you need, read The Giant Within. I can't stand his stuff. I find it patronizing and egomaniacal.
  
  AMA. I've read hundreds of these things.
  
  Enjoy o/
  

Congratulations on choosing a career in entertainment! Forging a career (in entertainment) involves craft, luck, and a lobster-like tenacity! Remember that acting is as much about talent and craft as it is about luck and attrition.

You will meet people who found the demands of a profession in the arts to high a cost or the playing field to unpredictable; they will seek work and happiness elsewhere. You'll also meet those who either do not relate to your choice at all, or were not willing risk the chance of success or failure.

Do not listen to anyone who insults or diminishes your profession. The world is dominated by people very happily living lives of reasonable security and comfort. Some of these people are overconfident enough in their station in life, or secretly unhappy about it, to preach to you about the risks of your decision, the foolish choice you have made, or perhaps the "what will you do when you don't make it" line of questioning will present itself. Some intend to mock you. Do not allow them to waste your time. Do be polite. Some mean to illuminate alternatives, should one be needed. Pay heed to the risks and understand your ability to change directions in life. Respect their intent to caution. Be polite.

Go read The War of Art and Do the Work.

It's been said that being skilled in something takes roughly 10,000 hours of work. Clearly, acting must be treated as a full time job, as a business (make no mistake, it is a business, you'd be wise to educate yourself on it), and as an obsession if you want to achieve true mastery; a shot at control of your own future within the industry. You alone will decide where your time and energy are invested, and these decisions will -- in part -- determine what you can carve out for yourself.

I say "in part" because you are not the ultimate decision maker here. You rarely are in life or any type work. Others will be exerting their influence. Be aware of who they are (it's not always obvious), work with those you must, befriend those who are great.

I say "carve out" because few are the successful who waited for a "big break". A big break is a moment where preparation and tenacity meet a flash of luck. Meaningful success, in all walks of life, comes from this.

Your effort would be no different if you wanted to work on Wall Street, be an attorney, a doctor, an engineer, or own a business. Some will attempt to move up in their fields. To achieve "great things" by their own standards and possibly societies. These people face different battles but the formula for success remains largely the same. Hard work. Drive. Tenacity. Luck. And the most valuable asset you have: your network. Seriously, build it.

Good luck! See you at your call time.