When do you become a professional?

There are many things I aspire to do at some point in the future… Become a professional speaker. Write a book. Start a business.

But at what point do you officially become a “professional” in your field? I’m working in marketing right now… but I hardly see myself as a marketing “professional.” I’ve been writing (inconsistently) on my blog for over a year… but I don’t see myself as a writer.

I’m launching a tiny business idea this fall… Nothing huge. Just an easy way to create a small amount of passive income. Does that make me an entrepreneur? If so, what about starting a bar in my dorm room? Or selling t-shirts promoting Kill-a-keg? (Boy, I miss college) Do any of these make me an entrepreneur?

At what point does my status switch from a “blogger” to a “writer”? When do I switch from “a guy who likes to give presentations” to a “speaker”? I could take the Ryan Healy approach and simply introduce myself as a speaker on my blog… It worked for him. (Perception is reality, right?)

I think the catalyst to becoming a “professional” is when you partake in “professional” activities. When people ask you to sit on panels or to speak at events… When you begin to write for a publication… When you make a profit at something. But let me ask you…

Are you committed? Steven Pressfield said it best in his book, “The War of Art.”

Aspiring artists defeated by Resistance share one trait. They all think like amateurs. They have not yet turned pro.
The amateur plays for fun. The professional plays for keeps.
To the amateur, the game is avocation. To the pro it’s his vocation.
The amateur plays part-time, the professional full-time.
The amateur is a weekend warrior. The professional is there seven days a week.
The professional loves it so much he dedicates his life to it. He commits full-time.
Resistance hates it when we turn pro.

(FYI – Fantastic book…. Especially if you’re horrible really good at procrastinating.)

Bottom line – Becoming a professional is about commitment. Not for just a few days a week. Or for a week or two out of the month… You have to consistently do what you do. Day in. Day out. Year after year. Over time, those results will begin to show. You’ll make money. And you’ll have no problem calling yourself a professional.

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