What Is A Professional?

In his recent book Turning Pro, Steven Pressfield listed the habits and qualities that the professional possesses that the amateur doesn’t:

1. The professional shows up every day
2. The professional stays on the job all day
3. The professional is committed over the long haul
4. For the professional, the stakes a high and real
5. The professional is patient
6. The professional seeks order
7. The professional demystifies
8. The professional acts in the face of fear
9. The professional accepts to excuses
10. The professional plays it as it lays
11. The professional is prepared
12. The professional does not show off
13. The professional dedicates himself to mastering technique
14. The professional does not hesitate to ask for help
15. The professional does not take failure or success personally
16. The professional does not identify with her or her instrument
17. The professional endures adversity
18. The professional self-validates
19. The professional reinvents herself
20. The professional is recognized by other professionals

Being a protector and getting left of bang – whether you are in the military, a cop, or in the security industry – requires that you are a pro.  Ask yourself if you meet these criteria.

Work taken from page 90-91 of:

Pressfield, Steven. Turning Pro. New York: Black Irish Entertainment, 2012.

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