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?
Listen to Turning Pro — Free Audiobook
Loading player...
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
The Amateur's Trap
The Pro's Mindset
Overcoming Fear
The Illusion of the Tribe
Self-Sabotage
Self-Compassion
The Breakthrough
Hitting Rock Bottom
The Gift of Shame
Taking Action
Reshaping Your Life
Embracing Solitude
Changing Habits
Handling Relationships
Daily Recommitment
The Daily Practice
Sacred Space
Clear Intention
Humility
Lifelong Commitment
Trusting the Mystery
Discipline Enables Magic
The Muse
Psychological Rewards
Quiz — Test Your Understanding
Question 1 of 9
What is a 'shadow career' according to the book?
Turning Pro — Full Chapter Overview
Chapter 1: Recommendation
Chapter 2: Going pro is a deliberate decision.
Chapter 3: To go pro, you must resist addictions.
Chapter 4: Going pro means confronting your fears.
Chapter 5: Your lowest point will spark your breakthrough.
Chapter 6: Going pro transforms every part of your life.
Chapter 7: Going pro shifts your mindset.
Chapter 8: To be a pro, you must keep a practice.
Chapter 9: A 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
Books Similar to Turning Pro
Readers who enjoyed this also liked these titles.
Do the Work
★ 4.2 / 5 • 232 ratingsOvercome Resistance and Get Out of Your Own Way
The War of Art
★ 4.2 / 5 • 378 ratingsBreak Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles
Dream Year
★ 4.0 / 5 • 37 ratingsMake the Leap from a Job You Hate to a Life You Love
Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t
★ 4.1 / 5 • 162 ratingsWhy That Is and What You Can Do About It