Turning Pro by Steven Pressfield

• What we get when we turn pro is, we find our power. We find our will and our voice and we find our self-respect. We become who we always were but had, until then, been afraid to embrace and to live out.

• Ambition, I have come to believe, is the most primal and sacred fundament of our being. To feel ambition and to act upon it is to embrace the unique calling of our souls. Not to act upon that ambition is to turn our backs on ourselves and on the reason for our existence.

• The difference between an amateur and a professional is in their habits. An amateur has amateur habits. A professional has professional habits.

• Who am I? Why am I here? What do I want?

• Resistance hates two qualities above all others: concentration and depth. Why? Because when we work with focus and we work deep, we succeed.

• What you and I are really seeking is our own voice, our own truth, our own authenticity.

• In his heart, the amateur knows he's hiding. He knows he was meant for better things. He knows he has turned away from his higher nature. If the amateur had empathy for himself, he could look in the mirror and not hate what he sees. Achieving this compassion is the first powerful step toward moving from being an amateur to being a pro.

• The payoff of living in the past or the future is you never have to do your work in the present.

• The sure sign of an amateur is he has a million plans and they all start tomorrow.

• When we turn pro, we stop running from our fears. We turn around and face them.

• "refine your skills to support your instincts."

• The professional shows up every day

• The professional stays on the job all day

• The professional is committed over the long haul

• For the professional, the stakes are high and real

• The professional is patient

• The professional seeks order

• The professional demystifies

• The professional acts in the face of fear

• The professional accepts no excuses

• The professional plays it as it lays

• The professional is prepared

• The professional does not show off

• The professional dedicates himself to mastering technique

• The professional does not hesitate to ask for help

• The professional does not take failure or success personally

• The professional does not identify with his or her instrument

• The professional endures adversity

• The professional self-validates

• The professional reinvents herself

• The professional is recognized by other professionals

• A horse is a flight animal. Even a stallion, if he can, will choose flight over confrontation. Picture the most sensitive person you've ever known; a horse is ten times more sensitive. A horse is a naked nervous system, particularly a thoroughbred. He's a child. A three-year-old, big and fast as he is, is a baby. Horses understand the whip, but I don't want a racer that runs that way. A horse that loves to run will beat a horse that's compelled, every day of the week. I want my horses to love the track. I want my exercise riders to have to hold them back in the morning because they're so excited to get out and run. Never train your animal to exhaustion. Leave him wanting more.

• Krishna said we have the right to our labor, but not to the fruits of our labor.

• The professional does not wait for inspiration; he acts in anticipation of it.

• When we convene day upon day in the same space at the same time, a powerful energy builds up around us. This is the energy of our intention, of our dedication, of our commitment.