Crossing The Bridge from Amateur to Professional

Here are some notes about your career path that I want you to consider. Think about the fire inside you for whatever it is you truly want to pursue and how that relates to the expression of your unique gift. You have to focus on something that genuinely excites you. What do you want to look back on when you reflect on your life? Can you see what is possible for your life, doing something you were born to do, whether or not you get paid for it? Monetizing your passion can be challenging, as there's often a "difficulty factor" attached to your gift. If this is what you truly want to do for life, you must accept that there will be challenges tied to achieving your ideal life. Anyone living life on their own terms has accepted this reality. I'll say it again: anyone living life on their terms has accepted this reality. You should adopt the mindset, "Either I live, or I die pursuing what my heart longs for." Set aside large, uninterrupted blocks of time to focus—one, two, sometimes even three hours of alone time per day. Your best ideas will come from being in a quiet, still place. When it comes to the rules of success, there are many. But if you think the law of discipline doesn't apply to you, you're setting yourself up for trouble. Stop putting things off; right now is all you have. The next moment, you could be gone. It’s arrogant to assume you’ll be alive tomorrow—you have no control over that reality. Adopt the mindset of *do it now, do it now, do it now. Don’t wait for tomorrow; you don’t know if you’ll have the chance. How you spend your time is incredibly important. Here’s a question to ponder: how can you reach a world-class, elite level in your field? Reflect on this. How can you become part of the top 1% of world-class performers in whatever field you choose to pursue? Here's something else to consider: stop trying to impress others. Don’t let other people’s opinions overshadow your own opinion of yourself. Care more about impressing yourself. If you aim to impress yourself, others will be impressed as well. Hard work—let’s talk about that. Hard work often intimidates average people. But here’s a critical mindset for success: how can anyone compete with me if I can force myself to do what I might not want to do right now, but I do it anyway? If I’m competing against people who lack the discipline to do what’s necessary, they’ll never keep up. This is crucial in your development as a professional. It’s the bridge between amateurism and professionalism.