Turning Pro
Steven Pressfield
Book Overview from the Publisher
The follow-up to his bestseller The War of Art, Turning Pro navigates the passage from the amateur life
to a professional practice. "You don't need to take a course or buy a product. All you have to do is change
your mind." --Steven Pressfield
TURNING PRO IS FREE, BUT IT'S NOT EASY. When we turn pro, we give up a life that we may have
become extremely comfortable with. We give up a self that we have come to identify with and to call our
own.
TURNING PRO IS FREE, BUT IT DEMANDS SACRIFICE. The passage from amateur to professional is
often achieved via an interior odyssey whose trials are survived only at great cost, emotionally,
psychologically and spiritually. We pass through a membrane when we turn pro. It's messy and it's scary.
We tread in blood when we turn pro.
WHAT WE GET WHEN WE TURN PRO. What we get when we turn pro is we find our power. We find
our will and our voice and we find our self-respect. We become who we always were but had, until then,
been afraid to embrace and live out.
KEY POINTS COVERED IN THIS SUMMARY:
1. Self-transformation - The 3 models of self-transformation
2. Biggest difference - The biggest factor that sets amateurs and
professionals apart
3. Marine gets 2 salaries - The 2 kinds of salaries we are actually
getting
4. Amateur vs. Pro - 5 key distinctions between the amateur and the
pro
1) Self-Transformation
3 Models of Self-Transformation
1. “I am broken / I need to be fixed.”
This is the idea that there is something wrong that needs to be fixed -- mentally, emotionally,
whatever it might be. The self-help industry caters to this idea.
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2. “ I am a sinner.”
This is the idea that the person has done something wrong, and hence the need to go through a
process to purge all that in order to transform that area of life.
3. Amateur - This is the idea that the person is operating like an amateur in the area where
there’s a struggle.
We need to turn pro
To transform, we need to become a professional.
● We need to start taking massive action no matter what.
● We need to build our discipline.
● We need to build our habits
You'll notice this consistently that the area of life in which you need the most help is usually the
area of life in which you are acting like an amateur. So you need to start acting like a pro in
order to improve that area of life.
2) Amateur vs. Pro: The biggest difference
The difference is all in their habits (or lack of habits).
When it comes to a pro, there are very specific detailed habits that they follow through on a
daily basis in order to get their most important work done. An amateur, on the other hand, has
bad habits -- or no powerful habits whatsoever -- to support what they need to do in order to
accomplish their biggest goals.
If you think of professional athletes, they are the greatest examples of incorporating powerful
habits in their life.
Kobe Bryant is one example that comes to mind. One of the things that he is well known for is
his hardcore work habits. His work ethic stemmed from his habits.
● He wakes up early in the morning and is in the gym by 4:00 AM.
● He’s at the gym till 12:00 PM on most days, working out every single day.
● No matter what, rain or shine, he is there.
In contrast, amateurs do not have any habits that support their bid for that great outcome that
they are after.
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3) A Marine Gets 2 Salaries
As a professional, you get 2 salaries. This idea actually started from the world of Marines,
where they the marine gets 2 salaries.
The 2 Salaries
1. Financial - the money that the Marine gets
2. Psychological
● A sense of pride from being a Marine
● A sense of camaraderie
● A sense of fulfillment from serving the country
There is more than just the money aspect for which people turn to become soldiers to serve
their country. That's the same with turning pro. When you become a pro, it's not just about the
money -- you do it for the sake of doing the work.
As an artist, you might enjoy the crowd. If you are a sportsman, you enjoy playing that sport. If
you're an entrepreneur, you enjoy doing the business. If you are a scientist, you enjoy doing that
research.
The pros get a psychological salary, not just a dollar salary. They get the joy of working for the
sake of working. And that's so important.
As a professional, you must get these two salaries, otherwise you're not a pro yet. Until you get
the psychological benefits, until you feel like this is so much fun, until you can actually enjoy the
work for sake of enjoyment, you are not a pro yet.
In Bhagavad Gita, Arjun was told by Krishna that we only have the right to our labor, not to
the fruits of our labor. We cannot work just for the fruit of the labor. We must actually enjoy
the work for the sake of work.
4) 5 Key Mindset Differences Between the Amateur
and the Pro
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1. T
he amateur is looking for instant gratification.
● They end up taking the easy path.
● They get easily distracted by other things in life.
● They take the shortcuts because they want that instant gratification.
● They want the results right away.
The pro, on the other hand, is looking for long-term results.
● They are not going to take the easy path.
● They are not going to get distracted.
● They are not going to take the shortcuts.
2. T
he amateur doesn't play hurt.
Hurt is not part of the amateur’s dictionary. If the conditions are not right, the amateur will not
play.
Instead, the pro plays hurt. It doesn't matter what the situation and the challenges are. The pro
is out and is ready to attack.
A simple example of being an amateur is maybe in a business endeavor. If the conditions are
not right, you find ways to delay action or to distract yourself in the moment.
A pro would do what needs to be done, even though the conditions are not right. A pro will still
continue to push rather than stopping just because you're hurt, just because the situation is not
perfect.
3. T
he amature lets fear stop them.
When there is fear in that moment, the amateur will stop himself. He will not take any action.
On the other hand, the pro is all about doing courageous things and taking the next step, even
though the fear is there.
4. T
he amateur is ready to procrastinate.
Meanwhile, the pro says, “We must do it right now. Right now is the only time we must do.”
A very interesting story from the life of Napoleon Bonaparte was when one of his generals
came up to him during a battle and said, “Sir, the conditions are not right so we must delay the
attack.”
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Napoleon got furious. He said, “Attack. I say, you must attack and you must attack right now
because I don't care about circumstances. I make circumstances.”
What Napoleon is saying is that we're going to play hurt. We don't care about the
circumstances. We're going to go and attack and we’re not going to be swayed by the fear. To
attack to not procrastinate. Attack is the mindset of the pro.
5. T
he amateur is waiting for inspiration.
They wait for that glorious moment when everything will come together and that's when they
start taking action.
But the pro knows that there is no waiting around. There is no inspiration coming.
You've got to take action and you've got to manufacture inspiration. That's what the pro knows,
and so he attacks the situation, knowing that action will cause inspiration.
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