Turning pro
tap your inner power and create your life's work
by Steven Pressfield · first published 2012
79% recommend21% neutral
Why HN recommends it
A short, practical guide to overcoming procrastination and self-sabotage by adopting a professional, show-up-and-work mindset. It is a quick read that helps readers get out of a rut.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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See "Turning Pro" and "War of Art" by Steven Pressfield. Good books on this topic.
on “The unreasonable effectiveness of just showing up everyday” ↗+1 for Steven Pressfield. I read Turning Pro first after this excerpt on 99u and loved it; The War of Art was cool too but kind of cringey & self-helpy in places. http://99u.com/articles/7192/Are-You-Trapped-in-a-Shadow-Car...
on “Chuck Close on Creativity, Work Ethic, and Problem-Solving vs. Problem-Creating” ↗To anyone that read this and identified strongly: I highly recommend you pick up 'The War of Art' and 'Turning Pro' by Steven Pressfield. Essentially,accordingly to Pressfield, those writers who identify strongly with problems the writer has in the article would do well to adopt a "hard hat" mentality of doing creative…
on “Be Wrong as Fast as You Can” ↗Steven Pressfield's "Turning Pro" got me out of a rut. I usually don't go for this type of book, but it is more or less a couple of hour read and it helped me establish a better mindset that I've been able to build upon. It really reminded…
on “Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2015?” ↗Anyone interested in this topic should check out 'Turning Pro' by Steven Pressfield. Quick read.
on “The Difference Between Amateurs and Professionals” ↗You sound a lot like me. I have had tons of trouble making myself work, even on my passion projects that I have invested significant amounts of my own money in. I would recommend that you read Turning Pro by Steven Pressfield. He was a chronic procrastinator who turned things around. I would combine this with renting a desk at a coworking space and keeping regular work hours, though they might only be…
on “Ask HN: Is it 'normal' to struggle so hard with work?” ↗David Allen - Getting things done Steven Pressfield - The War of Art + Turning Pro Tony Robbins - Awaken the giant within (maybe he's released a better book than that now, but it was impactful personally back in the 90s)
on “Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?” ↗Turning Pro by Steven Pressfield
on “Ask HN: What is the best book you read on 2017?” ↗If you liked that, check out his follow up - Turning Pro. I read the second book first & loved it; thought The War of Art was a liiiittle bit self-helpy. What I took away from those two books were that the /only thing/ that will help you is sitting your ass…
on “To Stop Procrastinating, Look to Science of Mood Repair” ↗So glad to see this book mentioned. The follow-up, Turning Pro, which is effectively the second half of the same book, is also golden.
on “Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?” ↗…of Art by Steven Pressfield. This is the book I've recommended more than any other, and have been thanked by people I've recommended it to disproportionately. He's got a few other books--Do The Work, Turning Pro--that cover similar ground, but The War of Art is the best of them by far.
on “Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?” ↗…towards instantiating that vision, that person is an artist. On the other hand, if the fantastic vision remains purely a dream or a wish, they are not. By the way, "The War of Art", and its sequel, "Turning Pro" are fantastic books on this topic. These books would be my number one recommendation to anyohe who aspires to be an artist.
on “Identifying as an Artist” ↗Thanks for that. Could you help me with something? I'm reading the foreword of that book right now from Amazon's preview, and it says that it's the 1st of a set of 3 books. I found the 2nd, "Turning Pro", on Amazon, but I can't find the 3rd, "The Higher Realm". Was that book renamed to something else after the foreword was written, or has it still not been published, or what could have happened to it?…
on “Do whatever you can't stop thinking about” ↗…War of Art" (no it's not a typo!) Generally anything worthwhile accomplishing takes serious effort. I've seen sources that suggest 10,000 hours. Eg. learning to play the piano well, sports, etc. Turning PRO is all about commitment - many people with great ability fall short due to the lack of persistence. Devil of an issue about choosing exactly to be a pro in.
on “Finding my passion but....” ↗…Quote: Don't think about what is a good man, be a good man. It's alright to think about that but it doesn't seems to be a good idea. Taking periods twice every week seems to be a good idea[1]. [1] Turning Pro (https://sivers.org/book/TurningPro)
on “Optimism” ↗