What is a “pro” anyway?

It’s a word we hear a lot, but it has a pretty vague definition.

The way I see it, a “pro” is someone who shows up every single day no matter what’s going on around them. No matter how they’re feeling. No matter what’s going on around them.  And as I watch what’s happening in business, I see so people who never make the choice to flip the “pro” switch.

(And if that works for them, that’s perfect fine. No judgment whatsoever.)

That said: a decision to go pro is really the decision to step it up a notch and to realize that inside of you you have what I call the “pro switch”. Think of your “pro switch” like something that switches you on at the beginning of the day just like a lightbulb. You switch it on, and you say — “no matter what, I’m going to sit down for the next one hour two hours three hours however long it takes to make this thing happen that’s the most important thing for me to do today.”

And what really separates the pros from the amateurs is a willingness to come in to show up every single day. To show up at your computer and do what it’s going to take to make the phone ring. To hustle when you need a hustle. And I think so many people have this idea that business is this instant overnight success transformation process that you can make money while you sleep.

And I’ve got to say that six years into my business, yes, I do make some money while I sleep, but it’s not the majority of my revenue.

But to make this happen, there’s a lot of work that needs to happen behind the scenes.

Uh oh. There’s that word.

Work.

I don’t know when “work” became a dirty word, but these days, I hear a lot of people talking about work and efforting as if it were a bad thing to be avoided at all costs. Work doesn’t have to be “hard.” Work can be about creative flow and creative inspiration.

Me? I love to work. I love to put an effort in to see the reward of my efforts. Work can be the most exciting thing you get to do every day. Work can be the thing that turns you on, gets you excited and puts you in your most creative flow. So yes, I like to work and I’m OK with liking my work. And I’m not afraid of effort. Yes, I want ease. Yes I want flow. Yes I want to trust the process. And yet I know that some days that’s not enough.

Some days I’m just having a bad day. Some days I don’t really want to get to work. And yes there are days where I could say you know what I’m taking a day off.

But there are many days where I can’t say that because something’s got to get done. Someone needs my help. I’ve made a commitment to myself or to somebody else and I want to be true to that commitment. Because day after day, when you turn on that “pro switch”, you’re saying — “you know what? I’m committed.” You’re committed to showing up and doing what it takes.  And I think that the idea of showing up and being consistent day in and day out is a value that’s gotten lost for so many people

That’s how the greatest novels on earth get written. 10 pages at a time. Twenty pages at a time. Every single day. That’s how the best trainings on earth get created. That’s how the best speakers on earth become the best speakers.

So whatever it is that you love to do, what would it look like if every single day you turn on YOUR “pro switch.” What would it look like if every single day you said — you know what I’m committed to putting in one hour of really good really amazing work that’s going to move my business and my craft forward because that’s what a pro does.

Now I’m not saying to be a workaholic. And I believe that the notion of work/life balance only makes sense if your work sucks.

But if you love your work, then you can find a balance of being in the flow. You can find a balance where work feels so effortless and joyful. That is the thing that you’re most looking forward to do and every single day. So flipping the “pro switch” no longer takes work. You look forward to it, because it makes everything else possible.

Are you ready to step up your game, and flip the “pro switch”?