Amateur vs. Pro – What’s the REAL difference?

What does it mean to be a pro vs. an amateur?

Resistance.

The difference is not just about making money. Usually, we think about a pro athlete vs. an amateur athlete. A pro athlete gets paid, but an amateur athlete does not. But it’s bigger than that. It’s about resistance.

Imagine the scenario where you set your alarm to get up for a workout or go for a run the following morning. The wake-up call comes earlier than any of us want. Do you get up and follow through on your plan or make excuses (it’s too cold, I’m too tired), hit snooze, and go back to bed?

That’s the resistance factor. Do we use it to get stronger or as an excuse not to do what we know we need to do or get to where we know we need to be?

Have you heard of imposter syndrome? It’s when you doubt your abilities and feel like a fraud despite being a high performer. But, unfortunately, sometimes we still feel like we’re not making progress, not good enough, and unworthy.

Being a fitness professional for more than 3 decades, you think I would feel like a pro or, at least, not an imposter. But sometimes, I still experience imposter syndrome. The doubt is the resistance when it comes to being a pro vs. an amateur.

When you’re resistant to reality and cower down to doubt, you shut down. So, how can you get past that?

Stop living in the then and start living in the now.

Imagine if a 45-year-old measured their success in life based on what they were doing at age 27. You can’t live in the past when assessing your current self. The same goes for fitness. What you lifted in your 20s or the exercises you did in your 20s aren’t necessarily what you will be doing in your 40s. This doesn’t mean you’ll lift more or less; it will just be different.

You have to learn to do things differently according to your life circumstances, whether that’s where you are financially, spiritually, relationship-wise, or in your career.

Always thinking, well, that’s what I used to do is the definition of amateur.

There’s no growth. Professionals are the ones who learn from their experiences and ask themselves, what can I do next time this situation happens?

But what if you have a fear of actually succeeding? Because if you really think about it, if you succeed, what else will you have to chase? The chase is over. So, if we never succeed, we can always stay in the perpetual state of pursuit. It’s like a constant adrenaline rush. But what do we think when the chase stops?

• What happens when I’m there?
• What’s life going to look like?
• What am I going to feel like?
• Am I going to have that empty feeling?

This happened during my competition training. I won Worlds, and there was a big letdown after that. I felt I had nothing left to chase. Instead, I should’ve been saying, what else can I do now that I’ve hit this achievement? How can I make it better? How can I do something different?

Enjoy the process, but also enjoy the success of the process too.

Sometimes when we look at the big picture, we get overwhelmed, we might resist, and then eventually stop. That’s when the excuses start, and we can sabotage our own process. Before you actually get to that point, break your overarching achievement or goal into 4-5 mini goals to hit along the way.

Being a pro vs. being an amateur, all comes down to resistance. Being a pro doesn’t mean being a professional athlete. Again amateur vs. professional is all relative. You can be a pro in many different capacities. A pro in your health journey, fitness journey, career journey; fill in the blank.

Don’t let resistance stop you. Instead, let it inspire you and propel you.

Make the necessary changes, believe in yourself, and trust the process. Be patient.

Check out this full podcast episode with more details about how resistance impacted Anthony’s journey here.

So, are you ready? All the tools you need to transform your body and life are yours if you want them. LET’S GO!  

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