Effectivity

Why I will never go Pro again.

“Going Pro” is a popular goal for many people today.  Some seek to become Professional Athletes, some Professional Musicians.  Many are exploring Professional blogging and of course Nacho Libre wanted to become a Pro Wrestler.  There is a certain flavour of Professionalism that is enticing.  It sounds respectable, it gives legitimacy to your goals and it looks great in a CV.  But is Professionalism all that it is cracked up to be? 

Historically, the term Professional has always described someone who works in a Profession - a specialized occupation that requires a lot of training or qualification.  Today the term is used more generously, to describe how much time a person devotes to an activity or how much money they earn from doing it.  This allows us to talk of Professional Volleyball players, Professional Salespeople and Professional DJs. 

The term Professionalism is contrasted with Amateurism.  An Amateur is often seen as someone who does the same things as a Professional but on a part time or voluntary basis.  A Professional painter paints for a living, while an Amateur painter paints in his spare time.  A Professional dancer is paid to perform while an Amateur dancer performs for the love of it.  Some use the term Amateur in a derogatory sense, meaning “substandard”.  A critic might claim that a performance was flawed and amateurish.  This is meant to imply that an Amateur is not expected to be able to perform to the same standards as a Professional, and this may sometimes be the case.  However in many cases it is actually the Amateur who has the potential to come up with revolutionary success. 

I believe that Professionals have chained themselves to a situation that does not allow them to achieve excellence.  Professionalism restricts its members to achieving consistent, predictable average results, unless they retain the essential element of Amateurism - the element of play.

The professional attitude is all about work.  It includes how we look, perform and organize our activities, but whatever it touches it turns into work.  We are told that a person must be Professional in his work if he is to be treated with respect.  We are told that a Professional is trustworthy and predictable.  Professional advice is good, reliable and safe advice.  This description of Professionalism is a description of work.

The Amateur attitude is all about play.  An Amateur is a student, a researcher, an enthusiast who is passionate about what he does.  An Amateur is able to change and adapt to circumstances.  He is given the freedom to wonder and discover.  He is not constrained by the fear of failure or ridicule, as he realises that improving his performance requires risk.  An Amateur is not required to perform by others, an Amateur is compelled to perform by himself.

A professional must behave in a certain way.  He must present himself in an acceptable way.  He must be punctual.  He must perform.  He must be responsible.  He must be  respectable.  You see that professionalism is a description, but it is also a series of regulations.

An amateur wants to behave in a certain way.  She aspires to perform well.  She likes to dress in a certain way.  She loves to persist.  She chooses to be committed.  She has the freedom to experiment and risk in order to achieve results.  The amateur isn’t bound by rules and is free to play, and with it, to achieve revolutionary success.

Contrary to what we once thought, Amateurism and Professionalism are no longer about time or money.  We can’t tell the difference between an amateur and a professional by looking at how long people spend in an activity.  Neither can we pinpoint the threshold of Professionalism based on how much someone earns from an activity.  These definitions don’t work any more.  Even the world of certification and qualification is losing its control.  There are now many people who have a string of qualifications that they never use, while apparently unqualified (but extremely capable) people are carrying roles in society that we would assume require qualifications. 

So while the world is pursuing Professionalism, a small proportion of the workforce are actively pursuing Amateurism.   I am one of them.

I have already wrecked one great career, by pursuing professionalism.  I used to be a Professional builder.  I started off in building because I wanted to build; I loved to build.  I loved the satisfaction, the lifestyle, the interactions and even the hard work.  I ran  a company of tradespeople who built houses.  We were a young company, but I was deadly serious about creating a Professional business and that is what we were becoming.  I worked hard and long.  I took my Professionalism seriously as we sculpted our image, our capability and our reputation.  Over time, as I grew in Professionalism, I gradually began to forget why I loved building in the first place.  Soon I realised that there was no longer any satisfaction in it for me.  I had turned all of the play into work and there was nothing left for my heart.  No excitement and wonder.  I found that my ability to continually strive for excellence was leaving me.  When there was no play left in my work, there was no motivation for me to strive.  I could still be a competent and Professional builder in this state, but that was all.  I left my Professional building company behind and now I am an amateur again.   Once again, I am free to enjoy the journey towards excellence.  I am no longer afraid of risk or damaging my reputation.   I don’t have to cling to tradition or expectations.  If I choose, I am now able to really achieve something, all because I can now play as an Amateur.    

The sense of play is what separates the professional from the amateur.  While the professional fills a function, the amateur plays a game.  The surgeon with the Amateur attitude, much like the Amateur Sportsperson, is someone who feverishly pursues their potential.  They are not afraid to learn from areas outside of their field of expertise.  They are committed to grow no matter how much or how little they are paid.  In fact, while the Amateur may appreciate money, it is not the number one reason that he works.  The primary reason that he works is because his work is more like play.  He has developed a game that is so important to him that he wouldn’t dream of slowing down.  This amateur is going places because he wouldn’t be happy if he wasn’t.  Are you that sort of amateur?  If not are you missing out?

Thanks

Tom