Television, Here I Come! Week 40. 'Professional vs. Amateur'

"Every sun casts a shadow, and genius's shadow is Resistance."  -  Steven Pressfield


Are you a professional or are you an amateur??

I ordered the book Do The Work by Steven Pressfield.  After reading his The War of Art some years ago, it changed me as an artist...I learned what it means to be a professional.

The human condition is a painful one.  We, as spiritual beings come into this physical world, into our physical bodies with a profound mission, a calling.  And YOU, the bigger part of you knows this but, have forgotten.  This is why it's so painful....because YOU know you're meant to serve the world in the most amazing way but, you just don't know how...OR YOU know how but, you just can't do it.  So we wake up, live our day out, and then go to sleep to do it all over again.

But somehow it feels like Hell on Earth.  Somehow it feels like a war in you all the time.  Somehow you're not quite satisfied.  Somehow you feel like you'll never win.  Somehow you feel too scattered to make a decision.  Somehow you feel restless all the time.  Somehow it scares the sh*t out of you that you'll never find out what THAT is.  Somehow you just don't want to even think about it and then you feel guilty for not giving it the thought and time it deserves.  Somehow it never goes away, it haunts you, it paralyzes you, it makes you lose sleep, it keeps you sleeping, it drives you mad...to the point of insanity.  But, the insanity is so private and exhausting that you keep it all in...and you feel all alone, but this again feeds the cycle of feeling crappy, the feeling of separateness....and around and around you go.  Aaaaaaaannd breathe.  I can go on and on....does this sound familiar?  I think insanity equals Hell.  And Albert Einstein defines insanity as "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."  A vicious cycle that can be broken but continuing to surrender to its powers by giving up yours, and each time thinking something different will happen or you'll feel differently.  But it doesn't and you feel helpless, again.  If this resonates with you, then you have a greater calling than you can imagine.  Keep reading.

You have a calling...your soul has a calling.  You are already given and you already have what you need to answer your calling.  It's just a matter of showing up and saying "Yes, I accept."  And your soul knows this, wants this, is waiting for your human self to accept this and take action and begin working together for your greater purpose.  This sounds easy to do but, it's not.  You know why?  There is something stopping you.

According to Steven Pressfield, we all experience this negative force that keeps us from taking action and further actions toward our calling.  He calls this negative force, Resistance, with a capital R.  And the stronger the Resistance, take that as a sign that you are most likely in alignment with your purpose.  The more something means to you, ironically, the harder it is to pursue and commit to it. For example, he says, if you've ever signed up for a gym membership and realize weeks later that you haven't gone OR you buy a book and you don't read it OR you have a great idea and want to write a script but you never begin it OR you want to eat better but you eat what you choose to eat and then beat yourself over it OR you say you're going to talk to your family more and you don't, etc.  Because Resistance is the work of the Ego.  And the Ego's job is to protect  you by instilling fear and doubt in you.  It wants to keep you safe by staying comfortable.  Some of its tactics can be "Who do you think you are?", "Eh, just start tomorrow.", "It won't be good enough."  OR, it can go a step further and get clever on you.  How many times have you wanted to write something but, you think you should clean and clear your space first, so you end up cleaning your apartment instead of writing?  Or you tell yourself that you need to call your mom first, so you end up on the phone for a while...and writing gets pushed to the side.  These are both very good, legitimate reasons.......OR, are they excuses??

One of the smartest forms of Resistance got the best of me....I lost a favorite ring of mine.  I like to wear a pretty ring while I'm writing...gives me something sparkly to look at while typing.  ;)  I was getting ready to do some writing for my one-woman show but, I couldn't find my big crystal ring.  I panicked and spent the next 2 hours flipping my apartment upside down.  I looked like the Tazmanian Devil.  No luck.  I was so upset over it but, my buddy Marsha helped me come to my senses....it's just a ring and it's replaceable. Finally, it clicked to me that I was using my time being busy, rather than being productive....the time I could have spent writing, I was creating chaos in my head and apartment...looking in the same places over and over again.  Right.  Back to the mission:  write.  I emotionally let go of my ring and began writing.  I wanted to get more comfy so I changed into my sweatpants...guess what, my ring.  It dropped on the floor.  And would you believe me if I said I checked my sweats more than 5 times??  Because, I did.

I created it all.  I subconsciously lost my ring, I subconsciously didn't see the ring even though I checked my sweatpants multiple times, I subconsciously and unconsciously allowed myself to get emotionally attached to the ring and the situation to see the bigger picture.  On a subconscious level, I did it all to distract me from 'doing the work'.  OR perhaps, the bigger ME did it to learn this exact lesson.  Wow, there are lessons everywhere...and if you pay close enough attention, you will find layers of lessons in a situation.

I became a professional.  According to Pressfield, by naming this negative force and recognizing it when it strikes, you're able to make a decision.  And if your decision is to stay the course and 'do the work', you have become a professional.

Professional vs. Amateur    Pressfield breaks it down for us in The War of Art

As professionals:

As amateurs:

We show up every day. We show up no matter what. We stay on the job all day. We are committed over the long haul. The stakes for us are high and real. We accept compensation for our labor. We master the technique of our trade. We have a sense of humor about it. We receive real praise or blame. We are patient in seeking results. We seek order in our work. We act in the face of fear. We do not allow ourselves any excuses. We play it as it lays. We come every day prepared to work. We do not show off. We recognize our limitations. We do not hesitate to ask for help. We do not take failure personally. We endure adversity. We self-validate. We reinvent ourselves, when needed. We are recognized as professionals by others.

We show up when we want to. We allow even little things to distract us. We do a little here and a little there. Our commitment comes and goes. There are no real stakes in it for us. We aren’t paid much, if any, for what we do. We try to copy others. We have a chip on our shoulder. We accept inflated feedback. We want immediate gratification. Things are done haphazardly. Fear deters us. Any excuse is enough to pause. We make it easy for ourselves. We do what we feel like doing. We love to grandstand. We try to do it all. We go it alone. We fear rejection. We give up when the going gets tough. We crumble under criticism. We let it go when interest wanes. We are known to be amateurs trying to make it in a professional world.

Here are some quotes from the book The War of Art.

"The more you love your Art/calling/enterprise, the more important its accomplishment to the evolution of your soul, the more you will fear it and the more Resistance you will experience facing it."

"Fear doesn't go away.  The warrior and the artist live by the same code of necessity, which dictates that the battle must be fought anew every day."

"The professional dedicates himself to mastering technique not because he believes technique is substitution to inspiration but because he wants to be in possession of the full arsenal skills when inspiration does come."

"The instinct that pulls us toward Art, is the impulse to evolve, to learn, to heighten and elevate our consciousness. The Ego hates this.  Because the more awake we become, the less we need the Ego."

"Resistance cannot be seen, touched, heard, or smelled.  But it can be felt.  We experience it as an energy field radiating from a work-in potential...Its aim is to shove us away, distract us, prevent us from doing our work."

"When we sit down each day and do our work....The Muse takes note of our dedication.  She approves.  We have earned favor in her sight...we become like a magnetized rod that attracts iron filings."

"The professional arms himself with patience, not only to give the stars time to align in his career, but to keep himself from flaming out in each individual work."

"When we sit down each day and do our work, power concentrates around us....ideas come.  Insights accrete."

"I'm keenly aware of the Principle of Priority, which states (a) you must know the difference between what is urgent and what is important, and (b) you must do what's important.  What's important is the work."

"The most pernicious aspect of procrastination is that it can become a habit.  We don't just put off our lives today; we put them off till our deathbed."

"The professional has learned that success, like happiness, comes as a by-product of work."

"The professional shuts up.  She doesn't talk about it.  She does the work."

"The athlete knows the day will never come when he wakes up pain-free.  He has to play hurt."

"The professional respects his craft.  He does not consider himself superior to it.  He recognizes the contributions of those who have gone before him.  He apprentices himself to them."

Amazing post by Steven Pressfield.  Called "Shadow Novels".  Give this a read.


I believe there are some basics to 'turning Pro'.

*Consistency.  It's showing up every day and doing the work.  There is power and magic in consistency.
*Quality vs. Quantity.  Just enjoy the heck out of your time..whether it's 5 minutes or 5 hours.  As long as you lose track of time and do it with love and gratitude.
*Quality doesn't mean Perfect.  Perfection can also be used as an excuse to not start or not finish.  Just get it done.
*Tony Robbins says to Ask yourself new and intelligent questions to open you up to different possibilities.  Give yourself the opportunity for opportunities.  You will get your answer(s) every time so, if you keep asking why you're so unhappy, you will get more answers why you're so unhappy.  BUT, try asking yourself new questions....like, "What would it feel like to be happy?" then guess what...you'll get these answers too.  Here are some examples.

Old questions                                   New questions
Why do I always start                       What would it feel
multiple projects                                like when I finish
and not finish any?                            writing my short?

Why do I always                               What would it feel like
attract unavailable                             when I'm dating someone                  
people?                                              who is available and
                                                          ready?

Why can't I be                                  What would I look like,
more consistent about                       feel like when I'm working
working out?                                    out 3-4 days a week?


Pretty cool huh?  Don't you already feel different by asking the new questions?  Your vibration, your energy changes...it's now at a higher frequency.  And according to the Law of Attraction, you will attract people, things, and events that are on the same frequency with you.  So, get your frequency up there!!!!

So, there you have it.  Feel good first and then figure out what you really want.  Then just be consistent about it day after day.

Here's to us 'Turning Pro' this week!  Have a great week you Professionals!!!!!  :)



This Week's Goals:  Getting ready to move!  Kundalini!  Talk to my buddy!  Write my one-woman show every day!  Photo shoot!  Margie Haber class!  Do some drop-offs to casting directors this week! Start writing up a press release!  Private Screening for 'Scary or Die', the feature film I'm in!  Weeeeeeee!!!!!  Busy week ahead...let the professional handle this.  ;)




with LOVE,

Alex