LEADERSHIP LIBRARY

Turning Pro.png

Turning Pro

Steven Pressfield

 

IN BRIEF

This book is another one of Steven Pressfield’s extended essays on creativity. The core point is that turning pro is a decision to turn away from fear and Resistance and turn toward practices that build mastery and just getting things done.

Key Concepts

 

Habits are what separates a professional

“The difference between an amateur and a professional is in their habits. An amateur has amateur habits. A professional has professional habits.” (p. 20)

The amateur is addicted to distraction

“Resistance hates two qualities above all others: concentration and depth. Why? Because when we work with focus and we work deep, we succeed.” (p. 39)

The Amateur Lives by the Opinions of Others

“Though the amateur’s identity is seated in his own ego, that ego is so weak that he cannot define itself based on its own self-evaluation, the amateur allows his worth and identity to be defined by others.” (p. 56)

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. We now structure our hours not to flee from fear, but to confront it and overcome it. We plan our activities in order to accomplish this aim. We bring our will to bear so that we stick to this resolution.” (p. 72)

Qualities of the Professional (p. 90)

  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 ensures adversity

  18. The professional self-validates

  19. The professional reinvents herself

  20. The professional is recognized by other professional

Quotables

 

“The amateur prizes shallowness and shuns depth. The culture of Twitter and Facebook is paradise for the amateur.” (p. 58)

“The sure sign of an amateur is he has a million plans and they all start tomorrow.” (p. 65)

“When we do the work for itself alone, our pursuit of a career (or a living or fame or wealth or notoriety) turns into something else, something about deer and noble air, which we may never even have thought about or aspire to at the beginning. It turns into a practice.” (p. 106)

“Our role on tough-nut days is to maintain our composure and keep chipping away. We’re pros. We’re not amateurs. We have patience. We can handle adversity. Tomorrow the defense will give us more, and tomorrow we will take it.” (p. 120)

“In the scheme of our lifelong practice, twenty-four hours when we can’t gain yardage is only a speed bump. We’ll forget it by breakfast tomorrow and be back again, ready to hurl our bodies into the fray.” (p. 121)