Open Your Eyes with McKay Christensen S5E25 - It’s Time to Turn Pro
Confronting the universal internal battle against "resistance" - the invisible force of procrastination, fear, and self-doubt that stops us from doing our most important work - McKay draws upon the powerful distinction between an "amateur" and a "pro” to argue that we can consciously decide to adopt a professional mindset in any area of our lives. This decision, he notes, is not about a title or a paycheck; it's an act of will that transforms our approach to challenges, failures, and our ultimate potential.
Opening the episode with the core lesson from Steven Pressfield’s book The War of Art - the hardest part of any task is simply starting - McKay then illustrates the professional mindset through a series of compelling stories. Listeners hear about Kobe Bryant’s legendary work ethic that reset the culture of the 2012 US Olympic basketball team; Captain Tammie Jo Shults’ incredible composure while landing a crippled Southwest jet; and astrophysicist Jocelyn Bell Burnell’s steadfast focus on her work, even after being overlooked for a Nobel Prize. The episode culminates with the idea that, like the Apostle Peter, even when we fail, we can "decide again" to be a pro, recommitting to our purpose with even greater strength.
Main Themes:
- The greatest obstacle to achieving our goals is an internal force called "resistance," which manifests as procrastination and fear.
- An amateur works when they feel inspired, but a professional does the work regardless of their mood, the circumstances, or their fear.
- "Turning pro" is a conscious decision - an act of will to show up and do the work, especially when it's hard.
- True professionals don't dwell on mistakes; they learn from them and immediately focus on the "next play."
- A pro is defined by their commitment to their purpose, not by external validation, credit, or praise.
- Even after a setback, you can always choose to recommit and be "twice born" into your professional mindset, emerging stronger than before.
Top 10 Quotes:
“It's not the writing part that's hard. What's hard is the sitting down to write. What keeps us from sitting down is resistance.”
“That's the price for being in the arena and not on the sidelines. Stop complaining and be grateful.”
“Pros do the work regardless of how they feel.”
“You can't win the next play by thinking about the last one.”
“We make up our minds to view ourselves as pros and we do it. Simple as that.”
“Pros don't get overly excited, emotional, or moved off their professional approach.”
“Every day that you sit around trying to figure out what to do, someone else is already doing it.”
“This time, having decided twice, he is stronger than ever.”
“You can choose to be a pro again.”
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