Based on an article published by Shane Parrish titled, "The Difference Between Amateurs and Professionals,” I'm reflecting on some of his key points with today's discussion on: 

“Amateurs value isolated performance. Think about the receiver who catches the ball once on a difficult throw. Professionals value consistency. Can I catch the ball in the same situation 9 times out of 10?"

I love hole-in-ones! Or more to my context…when you hear the chains rattle from several hundred feet away in a disc golf game! (My son Jamin has already achieved four!!!) But these are mostly lucky strikes, even for the pros. Getting into the hole or basket consistently with three shots puts you on par with professionals.

Those who think they'll strike it rich with a lucky shot or jump from one thing to another with hopes of quick success are amateurs and will always remain amateurs with that type of thinking. Rather than sticking with one thing and becoming good at it, they jump around from one interest to another, hoping one isolated performance will win the day. Almost like winning the lottery! By the way, did you know that your chances of winning the lottery are about one in 300 million?

Better to put in the time of becoming a professional. Malcolm Gladwell claims in his book Outliers that it takes about 10,000 hours to achieve mastery. Now whether or not it takes you that long to become a professional at what you're called to do, the point is, be committed to the hard work it takes over a long period of time (typically 10 years or more) to get successful. Quit looking for quick fixes and easy money and don't base your future on one isolated experience where you performed superbly well. If you are relying solely on luck, good fortune, or even God's favor; laziness and/or false hope is your main driver! While I certainly believe in God's favor (none of us exists apart from his grace!), I do not expect him to bless me as I sit around or remain at a mediocre level with the talents he has blessed me.