The Amateur versus the Professional
What is the difference between the two? Many times, we will think of a professional as someone that is famous such as an athlete. The literal definition lays out that it’s one’s primary occupation rather than a pastime.
However, I do think that it’s also about mindset. If you treat something as a pastime and never apply a deliberate thought to it, then you will always remain an amateur. Physical fitness is probably the easiest correlation to make. If you spend 20 minutes or an hour a day working out but then eat and drink recklessly, you will never see results. You will be left wondering why you can’t drop that extra weight, lift more, or run faster.
Everyone can talk about something in their life that they failed to fully commit to and how they grew frustrated with the results. Part of it is dedication of time and maybe even being lazy. However, I believe it isn’t entirely our fault. This is a subject I talked about last week in the Map Check Newsletter. I discussed that our attention is something that is constantly strained and we have a difficult time focusing our flashlight. Reference the newsletter to dive deeper into this.
If we want to make the jump from amateur to professional, we need to be deliberate. One of my passions is writing and I’ve been an amateur most of my life. I’ve written random notes to myself, my kids, or my wife. I even wrote a book over a 5-month period back in 2013. I still never really put in the consistent work needed to get better until about 2019.
After I finished my master’s degree, I decided I was going to write one article every month and submit it for publication in a blog. It was a start but still far from what I would consider “a professional”. From that grew a habit that stemmed from confidence. As my work made its way to the public eye and was well received, I started to think about how I had so many other things I wanted to share with the world.
Then in 2020, we started AIP and between the show notes for the podcast, newsletter, and blog posts, I found myself writing multiple times a week. Now a year later, I’ve written over 60 blog posts, 52 show notes, 50 newsletters, and another 60,000-word book. While it’s not my primary profession, I’m at the in-between stage of becoming a professional.
What’s the difference between an amateur and professional? Simply put, it takes hard work and consistency. Stephen King, Steven Pressfield, and Michael Jordan are professionals that have stories tied to years of them putting in hard work while having day jobs. Then one day, it all paid off and they are now remembered as masters of their crafts.
If you put in the work and remain consistent, your passion will reach a new level. The only thing standing in your way is a redirection of your time. Start small. Every day I will dedicate 5-10 minutes at X. Then continue this approach because the time will grow, your skill and proficiency will as well. Mrs. AIP can attest to the fact that I will get lost in writing only to be disrupted by her asking me if I’m going to spend the day on my computer. Put in the work, commit to it for 1 month, and it will grow from there because you will realize that you love it and you will always find ways to dedicate more time to mastering your craft.
I hope this adds value to your life.
~Mike
