The Goddess Wants to Know Where and When She Can Find You
Steven Pressfield on gaining the attention of the “Muse,” and building consistency in your life and work
“The goddess doesn’t just want to know where we are. She wants to know what time we start and at what hour we finish. How can she come to our aid if she doesn’t know where and when to find us?”
-Steven Pressfield, Put Your Ass Where Your Heart Wants to Be
To gain the assistance of the “gods,” we first need to show up. Replace “gods” with “luck,” “the universe,” “probability,” or whatever else, but the fact remains: discipline, routine, and focus will take you where you need to go.
And sometimes, where you need to go is straight to your writing chair, painting easel, dance studio, squat rack, or workshop.
You need to be in the same place, at the same time, exhibiting the same high level of commitment to your chosen craft — you can’t let up for even a single day, or even a moment.
Once you’re there, you need to really be there.
You need to say, aloud or to yourself: “This is the level of effort I’ve committed to. This is where I said I would be. And this is when I said that I would be there.”
As Stephen King put it:
“The closed door is your…
