Are you ready to go pro?

I see this so many times with people. I get into a conversation with someone and they tell me about their heart’s desire to be and do more. They are blessed with amazing gifts that they one day hope to cultivate further and do full-time, however, they do not take ownership of their gifts. They stay stagnant and remain stuck or dabbling in their dreams and not fully committing to it.

The key to unlocking your potential and creating the life you want is to stop being an amateur and go pro. This is something I’ve learnt from Marie Forleo and Steven Pressfield, who are strong advocates of the need to stop living our lives as amateurs. 

I recently read on the Internet that...

“in every moment of your life, you’re either operating like an amateur or a professional. An amateur does things half-assed, is late for meetings, doesn’t give 100% of themselves and let’s their negative attitude and self-limiting beliefs {i.e.: “I can’t do it. It’s too hard. I don’t have the money”, etc.} run the show. In contrast, a professional gets up every morning, practices extreme self-care, is on time, doesn’t let their mind-chatter run the show and is in it, to win it.”

How honest and direct is that?!

Take inventory of your life and see what ways you’ve been operating like an amateur. So, if you want to be a writer but only dabble in it, or you want to be an entrepreneur, but are constantly procrastinating and never getting started.

What ways have you not fully committed to your goals nor given it your all? When have you stopped and quit at the first sign of opposition? And also when have you complained, gotten frustrated and angry because things are not working out as you’ve plan and because you have not yet reached your ideal goal.

Going pro means being fully committed and not just interested in achieving your goals. When you are just interested you do what is convenient versus being committed which means doing whatever it takes. When you are committed, you will not make any excuses. You focus on how you can and will.

This is not an easy task, but it starts with making a firm decision to do it and going after your goals, regardless of the inner critic voicing its concerns. You keep going and working towards your dreams. It means even though you may face possible rejection that takes you outside your comfort zone, you continue on. It also means doing the things that you don’t feel like doing.

I’m reminded of professional athletes or even my days playing Varsity basketball at Ryerson University, and those dreaded 7am morning practices right before a full day of class. But because I was fully committed, I showed up daily to practice even when I did not feel like it and gave it my all because I was committed to becoming a better player!

Think about how the greatest athletes practice their craft. Yes, they have a passion that fuels them, but they’re also disciplined and committed to being the best they could be. This is something each and every one of us is able to do in our own lives. This will lead us to the desired results we all crave. But it starts with a decision to stop being an amateur and going pro.

So I ask you, in what ways are you ready to turn it up and go pro this week?