How to become a professional?

I get this question often, so I thought in this article I would answer the question in a simple and straightforward way.

The steps are simple, but adopting the philosophy and doing the work is the hard part.

Most will talk about it but only a few will implement it.

It's not for everyone.

If you think you might be one of the few that is up for the challenge then read on.

If You Find Yourself in Chaos Become A Professional 

If there is chaos around you remember that you don't need to be part of that problem.

You have to operate in a world beyond the normal.

A world where nothing is outside your reach.

To get to that point you need to change your philosophy of life.

To live a life elevated above the masses requires a big mental shift.

It requires a change of culture.

It requires a massive shakeup in how you conduct the business of life.

You cant expect a different outcome in your life if the input stays exactly the same.

The reality is that most people live in this weird grey area.

A mediocre world where everything is basic.

Everything is floating along the river of mediocrity and time ticking away with nothing changing.

For you to finally make a shift in your life and change things for good you need to become someone else.

Your current way of thinking has brought you exactly to the point where you are now.

If you don't like the place where you are then change the way you think.

Getting what you want all starts with your life philosophy and the code you live by.

If you want to change the direction of your life then you need to adopt the code of the professional.

You need to become a professional.

You must become a professional at this game of life.

What Is A Professional?

If you want a great example of what a professional is go study the life of Michael Jordan.

He was the ultimate professional on and off the court.

He understood that winning demanded everything from you.

He knew that winning was not a marathon, it was a long-distance sprint with no end in sight.

He understood that whether you know it or not you are competing with every decision you make.

He understood that at a very basic level you compete by overcoming small daily obstacles:

-Should I go out tonight?

-Should I eat this doughnut?

-Should I get up?

-Should I go to gym today?

-Should I drink that beer?

-Should I make that sales call?

This is what most people miss.

If you cant win these small battles then you will lose the war.

It all starts with these small daily choices that most people think are meaningless.

They think I will do it “tomorrow”.

If you consistently make the wrong small decisions it brings you closer to losing every single day.

But if you consistently make the right calls it will bring you closer to winning.

It doesn't mean you are not going to make mistakes.

But it means you have built momentum with your consistency in strong decisions.

If you create a culture of professionalism in the way you live then mistakes can be absorbed by your culture and you can adapt and overcome.

But if you live in the grey zone, if you live in the culture of mediocrity then every day you get closer to a mistake taking you into the losing it all zone and never returning.

The Reality.

The reality is that you need to be improving every day.

Playing at a higher level every day.

This means:

-Small changes and adjustments

-New goals

-Bigger ambitions

You need to intentionally live your life.

Create the vision for your life step by step every single day.

Surround yourself with like-minded people.

Not feel good friends, but real allies.

People that will tell you the truth and what you need to hear.

These are the type of people that will never ask you “how was your weekend?”

They already know you were doing what they were doing……getting after it.

This is about a quiet desire that drives you without saying a word.

It's about being the sculpture of your reality every single day.  

It's about craving the end result for yourself on a deep level.

Humans are competitive by our nature, embrace that nature and go after what you want.

When most think about making a change they get stuck before they start because they are worried about what people will say.

If that is you then realize it doesn't matter what other people say if you radically change your life.

The people who support you are the ones that you want around.

Those who oppose you make their agenda crystal clear.

You need to realize that their opinions are going to do nothing for you in getting the life and results you want.

The reality of winning is this:

It demands everything from you.

And that is why a culture of professionalism is a must for you to compete in this world we live in.

Is it easy to live this way?

No, it's not.

That is why it is not for everyone.

It's up to you to decide how much you are willing to give up to get what you want.

Because the truth is you can't win without focus and commitment.

This way of thinking makes a lot of people uncomfortable, that is fine, it's not for everyone.

Most average people want balance and that is their choice.

That is why they get average results.

When you become a professional they will call you obsessed.

They will call you unbalanced.

That brings us to the big quistion:

How To Become A Professional Person?

Foundation

First things first you need a foundation.

These things might seem simple and might seem like common knowledge but few live in a foundational culture for weeks, months, years, and decades of consistently performing within this culture.

-Physical

There is a reason the military hammers on physical fitness.

Your body is only a weapon when you treat it like one.

That means making it better and stronger.    

It also means maintaining that physical strength and fitness.

Eating real food is also extremely important.

-Mental

The biggest strength of a professional is his mindset.

It's the way he operates and walks through the world.

It's his operating system.

It's the filter through which he sees the world.

This mindset allows him to go above and beyond what the average man does.

This Alpha mindset must be built and maintained.

-Iron Discipline

Part of being a professional is having iron discipline.

This means getting things done even when you dont feel like getting things done.

Self-discipline allows you to perform no matter what is happening around you.

You can do this because you know that no matter what chaos is happening around you dont need to be part of that problem.

-Maintenance

Observe, measure, and adjust.

This is how you maintain your standards.

You observe your actions, you measure the performance of your actions and you make adjustments.

In other words, it's around the maintenance of everything you do.

Development is maintenance.

-Philosophy of The Professional

You are in a constant state of execution.

This is not something you do sometimes.

It's a way of life.

It's a lifestyle.

It's who you are.

You are a professional.

Conclusion

The sooner you realize that the world owes you nothing the sooner you will wake up.

You must know that nothing will be given to you.

It's all up to you to create the life you want in the limited time that you have.

The clock is ticking.

Get started right now.