Dear Aspiring Athlete,

Please do yourself and your career in sport a favor and read the book “The War of Art” by Steven Pressfield (after reading this post, of course…). This book was written as a kick in the behind for wannabe writers and artists. Since success in sport is more of an art than a science, I thought the message of the book was on pointe for athletes too. In fact, I wish I had read this book when I was a “pro runner” training for the Olympics. I know both professionals and amateurs, and the difference between the two is never obvious, aside from the fact that one makes money while the other doesn’t. But this book provides an inside look at some of the traits that separate the pros from the hobbyists, and surprisingly: Talent is rarely a part of this equation. Unexpectedly, super enthusiastic and passionate people, might be at a disadvantage! 

A healthy dose of reality does us all a world of good, especially if we want to really live the dream and reach our full potential. As you read this try to identify areas where you can improve and use this information to help you make the jump from amateur to professional. Sit tight for a gut check and see if you have The Professional State of Mind. If you want to honor your passion, quit messing around and turn pro today! 

True Love

The difference between Amateur and Professional has little to do with making money.

Amateur: a person who engages in a pursuit, esp. a sport, on an unpaid basis. From Latin amator ‘lover,’ from amare ‘to love.’

Professional: a person engaged in a specified activity, esp. a sport or branch of the performing arts, as a main paid occupation rather than as a pastime.

The above dictionary definition might indicate that an amateur plays the game for love where a professional plays for money. What is fails to mention is that a professional also loves the game.  In fact, they love the game so much that they dedicate their life to it. Pro’s don’t need to talk about their love of the game (it is a given), but speak through action instead: they dedicate their life to the pursuit of excellence through their work, their long term commitment, their passion, and their energy. Every day, year after year. Love, after-all  isn't a big thing, it's a million little things.

Both pro’s and amateurs love their work and “look” the part, but that is where the similarities begin and end. The true difference lie in the steadfastness of commitment in the face of adversity...read on to get to the nitty gritty!

Professional Enemy #1- Resistance

Isn't the internal world fascinating? The way in which our thoughts affect our performances, relationships and our quality of life is really remarkable.  Our goal at Believe I Am is to help you to become Super You! We do not expect to completely dissolve the destructive forces that exist within each of us, but we work to provide usable tools to keep those forces from limiting our potential. We refer to these self-sabotaging thoughts as “weeds”. They are present in everyone and have the power to wreak havoc if allowed.  In The War of Art, the author refers to these same dream-crushing thoughts as “resistance”.

Resistance is an athlete’s number one foe. Forget about your competitors - your rivals actually make you better by making you raise your game. But resistance is self-defeating: the endless excuses, that inner critic, and the doubting voice in your head that tells you you are not good enough. It is part of human nature, and both pro’s and amateurs alike have to deal with it. Resistance, according to Pressfield, “is cunning and ever present”. It shows up everyday in an effort to sabotage your attempts at using your gifts. Pressfield describes resistance as “the great shadow that your dream casts”.

The difference between professionals and amateurs lies in how they deal with resistance. Pros train, compete and live out their passion despite resistance, while amateurs are easily beaten down and discouraged by it. Amateurs believe they must completely rid themselves of resistance before they can get their work done. For example, after months of preparation, as a big event approaches, the amateur will start to find excuses on why they should skip the event.  But the professional, who also has these same doubts and fears, will follow through and compete, trusting that once the guns goes off, resistance will (hopefully) subside. Anyone tapering for a marathon will know what I'm talking about. As your body is preparing for "performance" a whole host of hormones and bio-psycho changes are taking place. If you were to believe every outrageous thought that arises during this time, you would swear the world was out to sabotage your preparation. You now have a name for this, thanks to Pressfield, it is Resistance. That mo-fo shows up stronger as we come closer to achieving our goal. Name it and shame it, and it loses it's hold over you.  (The biological explanation of this is that performance triggers our body to create extra testosterone and other hormones that can make us more irritable, but really those hormones are preparing us for the competition).

The Critic- The Personification of Resistance

Resistance is a shapeshifter and can show up anytime, anywhere. Critics are a personification of this. The only way to silence the critics is to face them and keep moving forward. They will always exist, but the professional does not need them to go away in order to do her work. The professional has enough self belief and self validation to remain unaffected. Instead, (if she bothers to listen to them) she filters their advice and uses it to her advantage, learning from them and allowing them to make herself better. The professional’s level of tough mindedness is rare and laudable. In contrast, the amateur allows the opinions of the critics to destroy her sense of self. She needs to be validated by others, and when she’s not, she crumbles. Rejection is felt at a genetic level: we are programmed to want to feel accepted by others. It is as if resistance “uses this fear of rejection to paralyze us and prevent us from exposing our work to public evaluation,” as noted by Pressfield. Essentially, tough-mindedness needs to be cultivated in order override this genetic disposition.

Reality Bites

The fulfillment and contentment we feel when we achieve our goal and our dreams is absolutely priceless.  But, in order to reach that happy place an athlete needs to know that the road will not be rosy the entire way. An aspiring athlete knows (or should know) that by committing to her calling she will learn how to be miserable, and what she has signed up for might be considered hell to others (just see what happens the next time you tell a “lay person” that you ran 80miles last week :).  As Pressfield says (he is referring to artist, but I think athlete is a good proxy), “the (athlete) will be dining on isolation, rejection, self-doubt, despair, humility, contempt and ridicule.” He reckons we should adopt the mentality of a marine and enjoy being miserable.  So the next time you feel hard-done-by for making a sacrifice in order to do your work, embrace it and get your work done anyway. Take pride in this self-inflicted misery and know what athletes face can be grueling and part of the job description. Knowing this upfront prepares us for those less than fun days.  It’s time to get comfortable being uncomfortable!

This video sums it all up!

p.p.s. The book "The War of Art", by Steven Pressfield can be purchased here. 

p.p.s.s. You can read more about two of the most professional athletes I know, Olympians and national record holders, Molly Huddle and Kim Smith.