Turning Pro: Tap Your Inner Power and Create Your Life's Work
by Steven Pressfield
When we turn pro, the energy that once went into the Shadow Novel goes into the real novel. What we once thought was real — "the world," including its epicenter, ourselves — turns out to be only a shadow. And what had seemed to be only a dream becomes, now, the reality of our lives. Resistance hates two qualities above all others: concentration and depth. Why? Because when we work with focus and we work deep, we succeed.
When we turn pro, the energy that once went into the Shadow Novel goes into the real novel. What we once thought was real — "the world," including its epicenter, ourselves — turns out to be only a shadow. And what had seemed to be only a dream becomes, now, the reality of our lives.
Resistance hates two qualities above all others: concentration and depth. Why? Because when we work with focus and we work deep, we succeed.
The amateur has a long list of fears. Near the top are two: Solitude and silence. The amateur fears solitude and silence because she needs to avoid, at all costs, the voice inside her head that would point her toward her calling and her destiny.
When we turn pro, we stop running from our fears. We turn around and face them.
THE PROFESSIONAL WILL NOT BE DISTRACTED The amateur tweets. The pro works.
"When we turn pro, the energy that once went into the Shadow Novel goes into the real novel. What we once thought was real — "the world," including its epicenter, ourselves — turns out to be only a shadow. And what had seemed to be only a dream becomes, now, the reality of our lives."
"Resistance hates two qualities above all others: concentration and depth. Why? Because when we work with focus and we work deep, we succeed."
"The amateur has a long list of fears. Near the top are two: Solitude and silence. The amateur fears solitude and silence because she needs to avoid, at all costs, the voice inside her head that would point her toward her calling and her destiny."
"When we turn pro, we stop running from our fears. We turn around and face them."
"THE PROFESSIONAL WILL NOT BE DISTRACTED The amateur tweets. The pro works."
"The professional knows when he has fallen short of his own standards. He will murder his darlings without hesitation, if that's what it takes to stay true to the goddess and to his own expectations of excellence."
"The amateur hoards his knowledge and his reinforcement. He believes that if he shares what he possesses with others, he will lose it. The professional is happy to teach. He will gladly lend a hand or deliver a swift kick. But there's a caveat."
- →Resistance hates two qualities above all others: concentration and depth. Why? Because when we work with focus and we work deep, we succeed.
- →The amateur has a long list of fears. Near the top are two: Solitude and silence. The amateur fears solitude and silence because she needs to avoid, at all costs, the voice inside her head that would point her toward her calling and her destiny.
- →When we turn pro, we stop running from our fears. We turn around and face them.
- →The professional refuses to be iconized. Not for selfish reasons, but because he knows how destructive the dynamic of iconization is to the iconizer. The pro will share his wisdom with other professionals — or with amateurs who are committed to becoming professionals. Like "Art" in Rosanne Cash's dream, he will not waste his time on dilettantes.
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