You're afraid.
Afraid of being called a fraud. Afraid of being called a fake. You're not an expert. You're not the pro. You're nothing but an amateur with dreams.
A newbie. A tiny fish swimming in the massive ocean.
You feel pretty ridiculous at times just thinking about your lofty goals and hopes. You want to shield yourself before someone mocks at you. Before someone looks you right in the face and say "Really? You're going to do that? You must be kidding!"
So, what do you do?
You lurk behind statements. Statements like:
- 'I'm hoping to start an online business'
But the problem isn't with that someone, that someone whom you're afraid of. The problem isn't that you lack the years of experience either. The problem is that you choose to be an amateur.
The brutal truth about turning Pro
It's painful to say this. But most people will stay amateurs as hard as they try.They'll never turn pro and here's why.
Amateurs indulge in envy
- It's easy for her. She doesn't have kids.
Sound familiar?
Amateurs love envy.They hold on to it and let it rip their souls.They choose to focus on the factors which limit their success than see what they can learn from people who are successful.
Amateurs choose to wallow in self pity than make the best out of their reality.They have a full-time job at the office.They are stay at home mums with young children who require their attention.Or they have both -- full time jobs and young children. They can't eat, sleep and breathe their dreams.They have equally important matters which demand their attention.
When the kids are finally in bed, they curl up on their sofas and binge on Netflix. They spend hours on Facebook or Instagram.They go to bed late and struggle to wake up early.Their dream always waits for another day. Another day that they are less tired. Another day that never comes.
Amateurs don't invest in themselves or their side hustle. They think of the cheapest possible option with no long term vision. A free theme or free tool. Anything that's 'just good enough'. They'd rather go the free route than look at how they can cut back to make their dream a reality. They are afraid of failure even before it happens, so they minimize their losses. They minimize their investments.It makes for a quick, pain-free way to exit.
Amateurs don't want it badly enough. It's hard work. It might take a year, two years or even more for your business to build traction. Amateurs get in to the game only because it looks shiny and the Pros seem to be making decent money. They aren't prepared to put in the hours.
The Single Most Important Thing You Need to Turn Pro
So, how do you choose to be a Pro and not an amateur?
You have to start thinking like the Pro.
I know it sounds like one of those fluffy woo woo statements. But stay with me for abit.
I'm not saying this is a magic bullet that helps you achieve success by not working hard, or putting in the hours.That's just plain silly.
What I'm saying is, bring this vital question into everything you do.
And that question is: What will a Pro do?
When you're ever in doubt about your direction ask yourself:
- Will a Pro publish this piece for the sake of publishing or think if it has real value?
Things start to change. Your work gets better. You start to take your side-hustle and dreams seriously.Your work starts to attract people because, you sure sound like a Pro.
When will you be Pro?
It takes strength to wake up and decide to be a Pro every single day. It will not be easy. But it will start to envelop you slowly.
Once that happens, you will feel the change in you. That drive to make it happen. Because there is no turning back once you hit that point. You may have 10 subscribers on your email list or made just a $100 on your business for the month. But it doesn't matter because you know you'll get there. You've already started to take the steps the Pros do.
You've started to think like a Pro.
Inspired by the article 'When Will You Turn Pro' by Caleb Wojcik
Meera is a mom, writer and blogger who loves email marketing and milk chocolate. Want to add more hours to your day for your side hustle? Download her free guide of 27 free productivity tools & hacks.