In an obvious way, well all want to be a Professional. Whatever your subject or field is, we want to be the best and most knowledgeable at it and there's nothing wrong with that. Being a Professional can open many doors for you, maybe a higher wage or be more respected. But there's a small problem with once you call yourself a professional, you hit the wall. You've learnt it all. You know the industry standards. You know the boundaries. You. Become. Comfortable.
Amateurs can have the advantage over Professionals, hear me out. When you start out in a new craft, you don't care how silly you look or how inexperienced you are. You just throw everything at it, experimenting in different ways and techniques. You might even find new discoveries doing this. Amateurs have nothing to loose and aren't afraid to make mistakes and fail. You are constantly learning new ways around those mistakes because you know how much of an amateur you're being and don't care! An amateur's mind is more free and loose, open to new possibilities. I'm constantly learning new things and not just in my own field, in anything that has an effect in my day-to-day life and interests, things like Facebook algorithms, up-cycling furniture and even ways to train dogs! But I don't really know anything, I'm an amateur so I have to keep learning and evolving.
If you've been doing your business or craft for quite some time and would put yourself somewhere on the professional spectrum, that's fine! By all means, get it on your CV! But stay in the mind of an amateur. Continue growing, continue making mistakes, continue learning. Embrace any uncertainty or 'the unknown' and wear your heart on your sleeve. Wear your amateur mind on your sleeve, keep that raw enthusiasm at the front and never take what you already know for granted.
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