Jun 8, 2021
On Becoming A Pro (At Anything) — And Does It Matter?
If all you care about is “turning pro”…
…Do this:
Do the work — every single day.
Put in your 10,000 mindless hours.
No excuses.
End of story.
If you feel “turning pro” is only part of the equation, read on.
Because it is only part of the equation.
As you may know, I read a lot.
And, recently, I re-read Turning Pro by bestselling author Steven Pressfield.
It’s about how to beat your inner demons (which he calls Resistance), and why we need to go from being an amateur to becoming a professional (turning pro) if we want to “become who we always were but had, until then, been afraid to embrace and live out.”
The first time I read it was in 2016.
It’s a book that gives you a not-so-nice-but-necessary-kick-in-the-ass.
Ok, enough bragging about me being a bookworm.
Now to you:
Why am I telling you all this?
Because I’m sick ‘n tired of my own BS.
Yes, I’ve accomplished a lot of things I never dreamed of — in the past.
- All the friends I made
- The social skills I developed
- My attitude of gratitude for life
- Who I’ve become so far
- Meditation
- Peace of mind
- Doing things I’m passionate about
- Having traveled to more than a dozen countries
- Et cetera
You’re getting tired, too?
That’s the issue.
You could fall into the illusion that my life’s helluva paradise on earth. Most probably you don’t care at all about me and wish I revealed the secret to becoming a pro at anything right here right now. Alright…
Long story short
Turning my social life around in mid-2014 (and writing online consistently since 2021) wasn’t an accident; I surrounded myself with the right people, was in the right environment, took daily action, and adjusted.
Hate the term, but I “deserved” it.
I took action no matter what.
Yet, it wasn’t by design.
I had no clear strategy.
I wasn’t a pro.
If you want to improve your life, you don’t need to be a pro. You need to get your sh*t together. You gotta take daily action.
Once you improve your life, you need to maintain it and keep growing. This is where Turning Pro comes in. It’s not about you bragging in front of your newly made friends that you’re better than them… rather the contrary. It’s about you lifting everyone else up — especially when they are down ‘n out — because it’s the right thing to do. You intuitively know that.
Tbh, I could have gone further and excelled faster if I had a sound strategy put in place back in 2014.
No regrets.
Here’s what I believe:
“It’s much easier to turn your life around (even if you have no clue at all what you’re doing = amateur) than to strategically create a meaningful life once the foundation is in place (=pro).”
Why? Because, lifestyle habits.
In order to ‘turn pro,’ you got to commit and re-commit every single day.
That’s the key.
That’s the secret.
That’s why long-term growth is harder to achieve than short-term results.
Every single day, you gotta take action.
Whether you’re poor or not, doesn’t matter.
What’s easy to do is also easy not to do.
Learned this from listening to Jim Rohn.
One decision every single day.
Will you (re)commit yourself to do what you set out to do?
Or will you give in to immediate gratification?
Most people choose the latter.
My advice?
Go against the grain.
No one said it’s gonna be easy.
P. S. I don’t want to confuse you with this article. “Turning pro” has its benefits. However, you should build your foundation first; by taking consistent action. Then, you can build systems and strategize for growth. Realize that “turning pro” is something most people aren’t aware of (or are willing to do).
This article was first published on 8 June, 2021 on MarioMontreal.com
