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Summary of Turning Pro 

4.6 . 3404 reviews

Short summary

Steven Pressfield is a bestselling author who wrote The Art of War, A Man at Arms, and The Legend of Bagger Vance (was picturized). He went through the arduous journey of being a truck driver and becoming a professional writer in demand. Turning Pro includes autobiographical moments of how the author overcame his fears and achieved success through trial and error. The book teaches us how to live meaningfully, becoming more and more ourselves. By his example, Pressfield shows that being a pro is challenging but rewarding. Your life will become genuine once you liberate yourself from the pressures of society and fears. You will still have doubts and concerns, but the way you face them changes for the better. “Ambition, I have come to believe, is the most primal and sacred fundament of our being.” ~ Steven Pressfield

Table of content

  • Summary of Turning Pro
  • About the author
  • What is Turning Pro about?
  • Who should read Turning Pro
  • Topics in Turning Pro
first key point

Models of self-transformation

Listen the first key point
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Before we plunge into this summary, let’s find out what self-transformation is. Self-transformation means that you deliberately change yourself and your choices to transform your life for the better. When it comes to self-transformation, people usually stick to the following models:

Therapeutic model

It implies that a person thinks that something in them makes them different from other people but in a negative way. They feel sick and aim to cure themselves to achieve happiness and find their place in society.

Moralistic model

A person considers themselves guilty of not being content with their lives because they have done something unacceptable. In the worst cases, one may be told that they were born wrong, and that's why they cannot make a life for themselves. To correct this, people undergo self-punishment in the form of self-criticism or self-restraint, thinking that this would lead to better results.

Steven Pressfield offers a more effective way of self-treatment and change that can make you the person you've always wanted to become. It requires effort, sacrifice, and motivation to alter one's life, but the results are all worth it. Pressfield considers that a person becomes a pro, and that's what his methodology aims to develop in an individual professionalism in every aspect of life.
What we get when we turn pro is, we find our power. ~ Steven Pressfield
The author serves as an example of development from an amateur to a pro. Pressfield lived in a boarding house that also was a halfway house. However, its residents didn't create an impression of those having any mental disorders. Pressfield made friends there. He worked in a garage, training to become a trucker, and started to think why he felt at home in the place he lived. When he realized that he was an ambitious person, he left the halfway house and rented a cinderblock cabin with almost no proper living conditions. His ambition was to develop into a better person.
Even the most successful people were once amateurs; if they managed to become pros, you can too.
Reading this book will help you find your ambitions and build the courage to follow them. The author considers that by not pursuing one's ambition, the person turns away from their personality. The book will help you decide to deviate from your comfortable path. Living in a boarding house and deciding to be a trucker allowed Pressfield to become the person he is now—the author of bestselling books and screenplays. Get to know who you really are and find your true direction.
second key point

A shadow career impedes you from finding your true self

While living in the cinderblock, Steven Pressfield cooked his meals outside. Since his housing was adjacent to the forest, a new friend appeared once, attracted by the light of the fire. It was a red cat, covered with scars and living in the wild. The cat came over every night, and Pressfield tried to feed it some meat, but the animal wouldn't take it. He was amused by the way the cat looked at him. As any typical cat, it expressed disdain towards a human being and demonstrated its superiority over everybody in the world. The cat looked like it had figured out everything in its life, and that's why Pressfield took it as a role model. He decided that one day, he had to become this cat—self-confident and knowing what life is about.
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third key point

How addiction and lack of desire to change something blocks true calling

fourth key point

Addiction to failure is an escape from challenges

fifth key point

Be proactive in facing fears

sixth key point

Advice on becoming a pro

seventh key point

Conclusion

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What is Turning Pro about?

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Do you find yourself staring at your computer for long minutes, unaware of time slipping by? Do you enter a room and suddenly cannot remember why you stepped in the first place? Is it a herculean task for you to sit through ten pages of a book without reaching for your phone? If yes, your focus needs some work and fast.

Actually, yours is not a unique situation. Many adults like you have issues concentrating on a given task. However, in this fast-paced world of ours, you can’t afford to be not focused at all times. Thankfully, this article comes to your rescue! With the tips and tricks from Hyperfocus by Chris Bailey, you will get in the top percent of folks who have mastered the art of concentration.