The book is Turning Pro: Tap Your Inner Power and Create Your Life's Work by Steven Pressfield.
Have you ever felt stuck? Like you are at your lowest of lows, and there's simply no way out? It could be your career or life in general. You look around, and all you see is darkness. You try to make some changes, but something is always pulling you back. You feel no one can help you and you are beyond saving. You ask yourself how the fuck you got there. Your life is full of remorse and regret. You feel you are truly fucked.
Well, that's a little bit dramatic, but if you have ever had such an experience and you are convinced somehow you still haven't gotten out of it, this book is for you.
The whole book depicts two kinds of people: the amateur and the pro, each with their own characteristics. The amateur has a shadow career, a shadow life, all kinds of resistances and addictions. His life is defined by incapacity. He may be a part-time pro, but he's still an amateur. One of the defining features of a pro is that she stops running from her fears. She turns around and faces them. The turning point usually comes when one hits rock bottom. Instead of running from her fears, she sits down and does her work. She shows up every day and stays on the job all day. She accepts the high and real stakes and is committed for the long haul.
What I like about this book is that the author uses his own experience of being an amateur first and then turning pro later to hammer home his points. When I read it, every section hit hard. This is a short book, but it forces you into deep reflection and goads you into action. It clearly shows the bad habits you need to get rid of and the good ones you should adopt.
If I have to be a little bit picky, I doubt the cat story. This story definitely adds some drama, but a cat that doesn't eat any meat you throw at it? Come on.
Overall, it's a great read. I highly recommend it to all the artists and entrepreneurs.