Every year as September rolls in, things tend to go into overdrive. The year is far gone enough that we can collectively start to feel the pressure of time running out, but there is still enough year left for a lot to get done.
With this, it is important to take a quick glance over things and take stock. If you have been doing well, steadily working towards or even hitting your goals, then kudos to you, keep pressing on and finish strong.
If you have been struggling to get it together, there are still four months to make an impact. And perhaps the concept I am about to explore might be of use to you.
This is the idea of ‘turning pro’, an idea I have mentioned in passing a couple of times in writing.
The idea comes from Steven Pressfield’s seminal book ‘The War of Art‘ and he proposes it as the antidote for the Resistance. Resistance being that inscrutable force that rises up every time we try to do something good or worthwhile.
You know the feeling. You want to work, or study but then you start to feel restless or anxious and soon you are doing everything but the thing you need to do. It is that pressure, that well of excuses, that fear, that turmoil, all the reasons why we shouldn’t. That is the Resistance.
The Resistance is all of the things that stop us from focusing on the work. Whatever that work is. Whatever that intent is, the real thing we know we ought to be doing. And it defeats many of us. It succeeds in distracting, or discouraging us, so we take a few steps forward and many steps back, stuck in a cycle.
But when you turn Pro, you cross the rubicon, you cross the line. You commit. You pay the price. When you turn pro, your goals change from a nice-to-have, to a must-have, the absolute standard.
We are all pros
We are all already pro in some ways, or at least we have the experience. We know what it is like to hold a job, to have responsibilities or expectations. To have to do a thing regardless of how we felt that day. When we turn pro, we take that frame of mind and apply it to our intent. To the thing that is important to us – our project, our business, our ambition.
Too many times, our projects or ideas do not come to fruition because we are still dilly dallying. We are taking the approach of the amateur. We do it, but only halfway. We do not take things to the logical conclusion. We do it when we feel like it. We do it when we find the time for it. It is not a true priority.
But if you want a true breakthrough in this thing, in this art, this business, this channel, this project, then you have to commit. You have to turn professional. You have to go all the way.
What are some characteristics of the pro?
The pro has learned how to suffer
The professional knows that there will be hard days, that there are the hard and unpleasant parts of the project. Not every aspect is fun and passionate. But the pro knows how to embrace the grind, the slough, the dark, hard side of the business. The pro doesn’t bitch about it, the pro just gets it done, knowing that is the price that must be paid.
The professional is patient
He knows that things always take longer than you expect. He is focused on the process. He knows that the labour is his to take care of, and the results belong to God to bring to pass. He is willing to put in the work, day in and day out for as long as it takes. He is willing to embed the work into his routine so he can work steadily at improving.
The professional seeks order
The pro knows that true creativity is unleashed by routine. They understand that having a conducive environment, a defined process and a way of working frees you up to think deeply and innovate where it counts. They cannot abide a mess, a cluttered work space where nothing is within easy reach and the work is frequently disrupted. The professional eliminates chaos from his world, so as to banish it from his mind.
The professional acts regardless of fear
She knows that the fear never really goes away, that the anxiety still rears its head from time to time. She still face the racing heart, and the nausea before every performance. She is still familiar with the terror of the blank page. But she knows to move regardless, to take action, to dive right in. She faces the white space of an empty page, feels the fear, and begins anyway.
The professional accepts no excuses
They know it is a slippery slope. The pro knows the job must get done. No matter what the lay of the land is like. No matter the weather. No matter the obstacle. Despite every condition or factor to the contrary, even the legit ones, the pro does everything in their power to execute on the job. The mission matters.
The professional commits to mastering technique
The pro knows that the saw must stay sharpened. They commit to practising, to improving, to covering their blindspots and achieving mastery. They want to make sure that when the opportunity knocks, when inspiration strikes, they have the full arsenal of skills to maximise the moment.
The pro doesn’t take things personally
They don’t care what people think, or how they react. They achieve a balance delicate between their craft and their identity. Giving all they can to the work without completely conflating themselves with it. They give it all they have got, but are able to take criticism, fair and unfair. They are able to ship and move on, they are as comfortable with failure as they are with success.
The pro goes all the way
They make sure they go over the finish line. They do everything that needs to be done. They don’t lose steam, or stop halfway. They get it done. They launch. They ship.
There are many more characteristics Steven outlines in his book, but at the core of them is approaching our task, our work, our lives, with the mindset of the professional, going all the way, committing to the craft, doing the work and improving constantly. The more we can embody the pro mindset, the more powerful and productive we can become, the easier it is to build a life on our terms, a life of our design.
