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1-Page Summary of Turning Pro

Overview

For many years, you’ve dreamed of achieving your life’s ambitions. However, actual successes fall far short of those dreams. You may not lack the desire or capability to achieve your goals, but rather a willingness to fully commit yourself.

The author of Turning Pro: Tap Your Inner Power and Create Your Life’s Work (2012) offers his theories on what it takes to be productive. He says that in order to live up to your potential, you must turn pro.

There are two types of people: professionals and amateurs. Amateurs will sacrifice their dreams for easier goals, while professionals will pursue their true dreams while simultaneously giving themselves permission to make mistakes. This allows them to grow professionally instead of stagnating in the same place. To become a professional or turn pro, you need to let go of maladaptive habits and develop patterns that reinforce positive behavior and lead to incremental change. By changing your perspective on failure, success, and skill development as an amateur, you can truly learn how to flourish like a professional.

Ambition is an important emotion for people to experience because it leads to achieving one’s goals and finding happiness. It can be hard, however, for people to pursue their ambitions because of the demands of everyday life. When they ignore or subvert their dreams and refuse to pursue ambition, they often end up silencing or ignoring deeply personal impulses and desires that would make them happier if fulfilled. However, once people decide to acknowledge their ambition instead of ignoring or subverting it, they can let go of any disappointment in themselves and start moving toward a better future.

If you don’t embrace your ambition and decide to work towards it, you may end up settling for an acceptable job. That’s because you’re not using the full extent of your talents. You’ll be in a shadow career that won’t bring lasting fulfillment like living out your dreams would do.

People who are ambitious have to make a choice. They can either stay at their jobs and be comfortable, or they can pursue their dreams and take risks. The people who choose the latter will often lose respect from friends, family, and coworkers. However, if they succeed in turning pro, it’s worth it because of the rewards that come with being successful.

Key Point 1: All professionals were amateurs at some point.

While everyone wants to be a professional, it’s important to recognize that being an amateur is an important stage one must go through. During this time, amateurs are given the chance to make mistakes and learn from them. They can try out different careers and hobbies until they find what they really want in life. Without going through these periods of growth, amateurs will never reach their full potential. Amateurs who hope to become professionals should extend compassion towards themselves during times of uncertainty; with dedication and self-improvement, they’ll see which dreams best fuel their desire to become a pro.

Being an amateur is a necessary stage of development. However, it’s important to remember that it will eventually end and you should be patient with yourself as you continue to develop your skills. You must also use constant self examination and positive habits in order to ensure that unhealthy patterns don’t become permanent rituals for you.

Key Point 2: Most amateurs have compulsions that impede their ability to achieve their ambitions.

Everyone has bad habits. Amateurs have addictions that keep them from achieving their goals. These bad habits can distract amateurs by taking up too much time or providing some sense of accomplishment, which keeps them from pursuing the goals they really want to achieve. Once amateurs are addicted to something, it will be harder for them to take steps toward fulfilling the goals that would bring them greater personal and professional happiness.