To become a better professional, adapt the amateur mindset.
The word ‘amateur’ comes from ‘love’. Love to do something.
Isn’t this the beginning of a passion?
On the opposite, we have the professional. Often associated with perfection, money, no mistakes.
In the business world, you often hear “I’m a professional”.
But with the mindset of a professional, are you really open to learning and innovating?
On Wikipedia, the definition of ‘amateur’ is:
lover [of something]’ is generally considered a person who pursues a particular activity or field of study independently from their source of income”.
So the amateur starts off because he loves something. He’s just passionate and dedicates time and energy to it.
Often, he is in a state of learning. It comes from within and goes out.
So if you see him in a class, it’s not because he has to but because he wants to be there.
He uses digital mentors, connects with peers, and teaches people who know less than him.
I’m an amateur in many domains. Language learning, chess, writing in English, writing publicly, investing, reading…
I love this state of mind. It’s an exciting one. I make mistakes, learn from them and grow.
But what if you combine a few different passions as an amateur and discover a niche where you can become unique? That’s the “Talent stack” model.
The idea of a talent stack is that you can combine ordinary skills until you have enough of the right kind to be extraordinary.”
– Scott Adams
The challenge might be to become a professional (earning money from it) without losing your love for it.
I love the amateur mindset. It’s a state of creation and progression.
Develop and maintain it. It’s often a source of happiness.
Ship and share your amateur work…
Related articles :
- How to learn a new language with a full time job?
- How do you start doing the things you want to do?
- How to launch and succeed in a project that is close to your heart?
- 2 principles to keep control even in the busiest times.
- What I’ve learned on happiness and success from Scott Adams in his book How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life.
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