Turning Pro

Tap Your Inner Power and Create Your Life’s Work
Steven Pressfield
20120530

About This Book

This book is about habits.

The difference between an amateur and a professional is in their habits. An amateur has amateur habits. A professional has professional habits.

We can never free ourselves from habits. The human being is a creature of habit. But we can replace bad habits with good ones. We can trade in the habits of the amateur and the addict for the practice of the professional and the committed artist or entrepreneur.

When You Turn Pro

How your life changes when you turn pro?
When we turn pro, we stop running from our fears. We turn around and face them.

How your day changes when you turn pro?
When we turn pro, everything becomes simple. Our aim centers on the ordering of our days in such a way that we overcome the fears that have paralyzed us in the past.

How people change when you turn pro?
Turning pro changes how we spend our time and with whom we spend it.

How your mind changes when you turn pro?
Turning pro is like kicking a drug habit or stopping drinking. It’s a decision, a decision to which we must re-commit every day.

The Professional Mindset

1. The professional shows up every day
2. The professional stays on the job all day
3. The professional is committed over the long haul
4. For the professional, the stakes are high and real
5. The professional is patient
6. The professional seeks order
7. The professional demystifies
8. The professional acts in the face of fear
9. The professional accepts no excuses
10. The professional plays it as it lays
11. The professional is prepared
12. The professional does not show off
13. The professional dedicates himself to mastering technique
14. The professional does not hesitate to ask for help
15. The professional does not take failure or success personally
16. The professional does not identify with his or her instrument
17. The professional endures adversity
18. The professional self-validates
19. The professional reinvents herself
20. The professional is recognized by other professionals
21. The professional is courageous
22. The professional will not be distracted
23. The professional is ruthless with himself
24. The professional has compassion for herself
25. The professional lives in the present
26. The professional defers gratification
27. The professional does not wait for inspiration
28. The professional does not give his power away to others
29. The professional helps others