Professionals vs Amateurs

Everyone likes to think they’re a pro.

Pro gamers, pro athletes, pro writers, MacBook Pros - you name it.

It’s a word we use everyday, but many of us don’t truly understand the meaning of it.

So what separates a professional from an amateur?

It’s not the amount of money they make, or the type of clothes they wear, or the gear they use.

Professionals show up everyday, regardless of their mood.

A professional writer will write every morning at 9 whether it’s raining or shining, cold or warm, motivated or unmotivated.

Amateurs let their emotions dictate when they feel like getting to work, consequently allowing the quality of their work suffer.

Doubt and uncertainty hangs over our heads every day, preventing us from getting to work.

But the ones who succeed ignore these emotions, and just do the work (or at least show up) every time.

You don’t hear a self-respecting hair dresser saying, “No I don’t feel like cutting your hair today, my wife is mad at me and I’m just feeling unmotivated to do anything right now”.

At the same time, you also don't ask a hair dresser, "Wow, where did you find the motivation to cut my hair?".

This applies to our lives too. We need to sit down and get to work, especially when we don’t feel like it. It builds discipline and ensures we improve our skills and craft every day.

We should all be good at what we do. Whether it be a plumber or a website designer.

The world needs more competent people doing jobs they’re good at. No matter what it is that they do.

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Thank you Seth Godin inspiring me to write this post today.