What will I learn about: how to shift from restrictive, guilt-based models of self-improvement to the empowering mindset of 'turning pro' in every aspect of your life?

Discover how to shift from restrictive, guilt-based models of self-improvement to the empowering mindset of 'turning pro' in every aspect of your life.

What will I learn about: identify and abandon your 'shadow career,' a safe but deceitful substitute path that protects your ego while keeping you from your true calling?

Learn how to identify and abandon your 'shadow career,' a safe but deceitful substitute path that protects your ego while keeping you from your true calling.

What will I learn about: why the messy, painful amateur phase of life is an essential stepping stone for gaining the wisdom needed to ultimately succeed?

Understand why the messy, painful amateur phase of life is an essential stepping stone for gaining the wisdom needed to ultimately succeed.

What will I learn about: Recognize how lingering addictions and repetitive habits—even serial romances—act as an invisible resistance that distracts you from fulfilling your life's true purpose?

Recognize how lingering addictions and repetitive habits—even serial romances—act as an invisible resistance that distracts you from fulfilling your life's true purpose.

What will I learn about: the ability to distinguish between experiencing natural failure, which promotes growth, and falling into a toxic 'addiction to failure' that traps you in a stagnant life?

Master the ability to distinguish between experiencing natural failure, which promotes growth, and falling into a toxic 'addiction to failure' that traps you in a stagnant life.

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Turning Pro

Tap Your Inner Power and Create Your Life's Work

Steven Pressfield

★ 4.5 / 5(244 ratings)

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Categories:

Personal Development Career & Success

If You're Curious About These Questions...

You should listen to this audiobook

💡Have you ever wondered why some people with immense talent never find success, while others seem to achieve their dreams with ease?
💡Did you know that you might be living a 'shadow career'—a life that looks like your dream but is actually your biggest obstacle?
💡What’s the secret to moving past the fear and resistance that keep most creatives stuck in amateur mode forever?

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Key Takeaways from Turning Pro

✓Discover how to shift from restrictive, guilt-based models of self-improvement to the empowering mindset of 'turning pro' in every aspect of your life.
✓Learn how to identify and abandon your 'shadow career,' a safe but deceitful substitute path that protects your ego while keeping you from your true calling.
✓Understand why the messy, painful amateur phase of life is an essential stepping stone for gaining the wisdom needed to ultimately succeed.
✓Recognize how lingering addictions and repetitive habits—even serial romances—act as an invisible resistance that distracts you from fulfilling your life's true purpose.
✓Master the ability to distinguish between experiencing natural failure, which promotes growth, and falling into a toxic 'addiction to failure' that traps you in a stagnant life.

Learning Tools

Reinforce what you learned from Turning Pro

Mind Map

Turning Pro

The Amateur vs. The Pro+

Overcoming Fear+

The Breakthrough+

Reshaping Your Life+

The Daily Practice+

Trusting the Mystery+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 9

What is a 'shadow career' according to the book?

A. A part-time job taken strictly to fund a creative passion.
B. A risk-free pursuit used to avoid facing one's true calling.
C. A career that relies on exploiting the creative talents of others.
D. A job that requires working in complete isolation.

Question 2 of 9

Why do amateurs often develop addictions, such as obsessively spending time on social media?

A. To mask the uncomfortable feelings and risks associated with pursuing their true calling.
B. Because they lack the natural talent required to become a professional.
C. To gain inspiration and life experience for their future creative work.
D. Because their shadow careers demand high levels of stress management.

Question 3 of 9

According to the text, what is the greatest fear that holds amateurs hostage?

A. The fear of financial ruin and lifelong poverty.
B. The fear of outshining their mentors and peers.
C. The fear of being exiled from their tribe.
D. The fear that they have no actual creative talent.

Question 4 of 9

How does the book describe the nature of a true epiphany?

A. It is a moment of pure ecstasy that elevates you to a higher spiritual plane.
B. It arises from hitting rock bottom and brings a painful but necessary truth.
C. It occurs when a mentor or peer finally validates your creative work.
D. It happens gradually and peacefully over 10,000 hours of focused practice.

Question 5 of 9

Why does an amateur find silence and solitude so terrifying?

A. Because it forces them to confront the lack of original ideas in their mind.
B. Because they rely on constant external validation to feel successful.
C. Because it allows their inner voice to speak the truth about what they should be doing.
D. Because they fear they will miss out on important networking opportunities.

Question 6 of 9

What lesson should artists learn from the racehorse trainer mentioned in the book?

A. You must push yourself through agonizing pain to achieve true greatness.
B. You should approach your work with self-compassion to maintain energy and avoid burnout.
C. Competition is the ultimate driver of creative success and flow.
D. You need a strict, authoritarian routine to keep your ego in check.

Question 7 of 9

Which of the following is NOT one of the four specific qualities of an effective practice?

A. It takes place in a sacred space.
B. It relies on waiting for the perfect moment of inspiration.
C. It requires humility and leaving the ego at the door.
D. It demands regular, non-seasonal commitment.

Question 8 of 9

What does the improv teacher's 'empty box' exercise illustrate about turning pro?

A. That artists must learn the technical skill of creating something out of nothing.
B. That pros trust their muse will always provide them with something when they sit down to work.
C. That creative ideas are often hidden in the most obvious, everyday places.
D. That strict discipline and structure can sometimes empty the mind of creativity.

Question 9 of 9

How does the author suggest dealing with the lack of immediate financial reward when turning pro?

A. Take on multiple shadow careers to heavily fund your primary passion.
B. Focus on the psychological rewards, viewing them as a 'second salary.'
C. Only turn pro once you have saved enough money to live comfortably for a year.
D. Monetize every aspect of your creative output as quickly as possible.

Turning Pro — Full Chapter Overview

1Recommendation
2Going pro is a deliberate decision.
3To go pro, you must resist addictions.
4Going pro means confronting your fears.
5Your lowest point will spark your breakthrough.
6Going pro transforms every part of your life.
7Going pro shifts your mindset.
8To be a pro, you must keep a practice.
9A professional trusts the mystery.

Turning Pro Summary & Overview

Turning Pro (2012) sheds a light on why so many aspiring creatives and entrepreneurs fail to make their dreams a reality. It also explains how, by making a conscious decision to pursue your goals and reconfiguring your life, you can finally gain traction and embrace your true calling.

Who Should Listen to Turning Pro?

Aspiring artists with big dreams
Frustrated writers who struggle with productivity
Closet creatives who wish they had more courage

About the Author: Steven Pressfield

Steven Pressfield is the author of numerous novels, as well as non-fiction books about creativity like The War of Art and Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t. Before Pressfield committed to his true calling as a writer, he had many other careers, including truck driver, bartender, and oilfield roustabout.