F4%K The Marshmallows
There is one book I recommend every aspiring or current professional (runner/coach) read, it is Steven Pressfield's Turning Pro.
Throughout the text, Pressfield contrasts the professional's mindset vs. the amateur's. He states, "no one is born a pro." And he is correct. Turning pro is free, but it is not without cost. It demands sacrifice. And it's not for everyone.
The pro shows up every day, knows the stakes are high and real, stays on the job the entire time, and is committed over the long haul. The pro lives in the present and by banishing distractions is immersed, losing themselves in their work.
The beauty is life gets very simple when one decides to turn pro. The pro merely arrives, clocks in, and does their works. No texting. No tweeting. No TV. No news. No junk. No noise. Only work for the sake of the work itself.
Turning pro means your work is too important to be rushed. The pro is patient because they play the infinite game, they're in it not only to win, but to keep on playing for a long, long time.
My favorite passage comes on page 98.
Pressfield titled the section: The Professional Defers Gratification.
He writes:
I'm guilty of checking my e-mail. Are you?
We're crazy.
What do we imagine we're going to find in our Inbox?
The children who were able to sit for three minutes with a marshmallow on the table in front of them without eating it were rewarded with 2 marshmallows when the experimenter returned.
But that's as crazy as inbox-watching.
Krishna said we have the right to our labor, but not the fruits of our labor. He meant that the pain is its own reward, as in the canvas, the barre and the moviola.
F4%k the marshmallows.
Thanks for reading. I'm glad you're here. // jm