Turning Pro (2012) has been a pat on the back.
What is it about?
Maybe, a compilation of the author’s thoughts on the subject that each chapter implies, that guide us through the process of becoming pro. Reading his experience, and the one of the examples he sets, has allowed me to reflect on my own journey. On those moments that meant a turning point in my life, and how it all began when I realized that I couldn’t ignore my heart’s will.
It is a beautiful thing, to realize that you are not alone. That there are people who have struggled way more than you in physical terms, but still the deep core struggle is shared. The deep fears are shared. And the understanding that life can get really tough sometimes, so at least you better be doing something you love, is also shared.
The Epiphany
For some of us, the “amateur life”, or the “survival mode” life as I call it, can last years, even decades. One day, you wake up and realize it is over. Those days are over. Those struggles, fears, deep cries wondering, are part of the past. Suddenly, you understand that your comfort zone has expanded, and all you can think of is the life that is ahead of you. The curiosity pops-in, the drive pops-in, and the joyful excitement of a child becomes your new currency. There is no more suffering. You just own it. Every day becomes a new opportunity to become better, and somehow, the deadline mentality is over.
Does it mean that out of a sudden your life is all sunshine and rainbows?
Well, of course not! You will still face insecurities and wonders, but I guess they don’t run the script anymore.
The end of the “survival mode”
A small voice in my head has been lately telling me not to worry: “I have my entirely life to become the best professional I can be”. After reading Turning Pro (2012), it all made sense.
I finally feel no rush. I’m in! I’m already living that dream my teenage version couldn’t even dare to imagine. So now, as an adult, I feel that is my duty to become the best pro I can be. But not because “I have to”. It is more a feeling that I own it to myself; to that little girl who gets to manifest when I’m in my element.
And anyhow, what sense would it make to quit and move on to the next thing? I have only started to scratch the surface! I feel I need to master. And knowing that I can devote an entire life to do that, just makes me very happy.
So, my message to you: it is okay to be an amateur. We all are at some level or another. So don’t punish yourself for being in that stage of your life right now. And you know, some people are okay with living a life that others have set for them. Questioning your comfort zone is not easy, and is not for everyone. Confronting your family, your current friends if you have them, and risking loosing everything of your current situation is a hell of a deal!
But still for some of us, just makes sense.
Why?
Because the suffering that comes out of living a life that is unauthentic is enormous, and the prize we pay for that is just too high. And please, don’t be fooled, we all pay a prize. So at least, I encourage you to be among those of us who have chosen theirs. So despite of what you choose: the convenient life, or the solitary path of pursuing and/or figuring out your heart’s true calling; either way, be brave enough to embrace it, to be grateful for it, and to change it if you can’t just bare it anymore.
Highlights
Before finishing, let me share with you some insights I have highlighted from the book. If you want to understand them in context, just buy it! (or borrow it in a public library):
- “My friend has used the pursuit of love to produce incapacity (…). Her multiple talents have gone unexplored, untried, and unrealized”.
- “Resistance hates (…) concentration and depth. Why? Because when we work with focus and we work deep, we succeed”.
- “This pursuit produces, for the artist, peace of mind”.
- “The amateur (…) seeks distraction”.
- “Sometimes, it is easier to be a professional in our shadow career, that is is to turn pro in our real calling”.
- “Refine your skills to support your instincts”, Linda Ronstadt. Quote extracted from Rosanne Cash’s memoir, Composed.
- “Never train your horse to exhaustion. Leave him wanting more”.
- “When the Muses sees his butt in the chair, she will deliver”.
- “When we project a quality or virtue onto another human being, we ourselves almost always already posses that quality, but we are afraid to embrace (and to live) that truth”. An insight I first got from Tony Robbins.
- “When we see the gaping holes in our practice (…) we know what we have to do”.
Hope you enjoyed, and see you soon in the next post!