Fear-Free Ambition Exercise

A mental exercise to identify what you would do if fear wasn't holding you back, based on insights from The War of Art and personal experiences shared in the podcast.

Core Concept

• Most people have two lives:
  • The life they currently live
  • The "unlived life" within them (their true ambitions)
• Between these lives stands "resistance"
  • More powerful than a locomotive
  • Harder to kick than crack cocaine
  • Often invisible - "we don't even know what hit us"

The Professional vs Amateur Mindset

• Professional Approach:

  • Shows up every day like it's a job
  • Works whether feeling inspired or not
  • Treats creative work with discipline
  • Focuses on consistency over motivation

• Amateur Approach:

  • Only works when feeling inspired
  • Claims to love it but rarely does it
  • Irregular, inconsistent practice
  • Lets emotions dictate workflow

Overcoming Resistance

• Do the work daily regardless of output quality

  • Sit down and produce something, even if just 3 lines
  • Quality improves through consistency
  • Small daily progress compounds over time

• Focus on process over results

  • Don't judge daily output
  • Trust that quantity leads to quality
  • Accept that most early work will be "terrible mindless drivel"

Real World Example (Stallone)

• Chose creative fulfillment over immediate money
  • Turned down $265,000 for Rocky script
  • Had only $106 in bank account
  • Believed in his creative vision
• Reason: "I didn't want to wake up and be 50 years old and realize that I'm this creative person who's never done anything creative"

Key Takeaway

• The path to fulfillment requires:
  • Identifying your true ambitions
  • Treating the work professionally
  • Showing up daily despite resistance
  • Valuing long-term vision over short-term comfort