Steven Pressfield on How to Turn Pro

Welcome to Make Daily! This email contains an idea, reflection, and a simple action you can take to improve your life today.

Idea 💡

"Turning pro is a mindset. If we are struggling with fear, self-sabotage, procrastination, self-doubt, etc., the problem is, we're thinking like amateurs. Amateurs don't show up. Amateurs crap out. Amateurs let adversity defeat them. The pro thinks differently. He shows up, he does his work, he keeps on truckin', no matter what."

— Steven Pressfield

Reflection 🤔

Changing your identity is not about affirmations or self-talk. It's about providing concrete evidence to yourself that you're becoming who you want to be. (Share)

Changing your identity is not about affirmations or self-talk. It's about providing concrete evidence to yourself that you're becoming who you want to be.

If you want to "turn pro" in any aspect of life, the most important evidence you can give yourself is simply showing up when you say you will.

What happens after that will be mixed. Some days will be better than others. But showing up for yourself will always be the foundation of heading in the direction you want to go in life.

Action ✅

Where have you stopped showing up for yourself? Your health? Work? Relationships?

Take one action in the right direction today, and provide some evidence that you're becoming who you want to become.

Creator Fact 👤

Steven Pressfield is a writer most known for his book The War of Art. His first book was published at 52 after many years of failing to get a deal.

Here's his advice to young writers (or creators) working in the modern world:

"In the world of writing, everyone wants to succeed immediately and without pain or effort. Or they love to write books about how to write books, rather than actually writing . . . a book that might actually be about something. Bad advice is everywhere. Build a following. Establish a platform. Learn how to scam the system. In other words, do all the surface stuff and none of the real work it takes to actually produce something of value. The disease of our times is that we live on the surface. We’re like the Platte River, a mile wide and an inch deep. I always say, “If you want to become a billionaire, invent something that will allow people to indulge their own Resistance.” Somebody did invent it. It’s called the Internet. Social media. That wonderland where we can flit from one superficial, jerkoff distraction to another, always remaining on the surface, never going deeper than an inch. Real work and real satisfaction come from the opposite of what the web provides. They come from going deep into something — the book you’re writing, the album, the movie — and staying there for a long, long time."

(Via Tim Ferriss)

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That's a wrap for today. The day is full of opportunity and its up to you to make something cool with it. See you tomorrow!

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