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Shareware Amateurs vs. Shareware Professionals
by Steve Pavlina

Personal Development

Amateur
  1. Myopically focus personal development efforts on the areas you enjoy most (such as design or programming) as opposed to the areas where improvement would yield the greatest results (such as marketing or self-discipline).
  2. Gain knowledge sporadically through just one or two primary sources (i.e. reading books and articles, but not live seminars or audio programs).
  3. Apply your new knowledge to making your strengths even stronger (i.e. product development), while falling further behind in your weakest areas (i.e. marketing and sales).
  4. Guard the best of what you've learned as a treasured secret. Maintain a competitive scarcity mentality.
  5. Repeat from step 1.
Professional
  1. Take personal inventory of strengths as well as weaknesses that specifically detract from those strengths (ex. poor goal-setting habits result in unfocused marketing plan).
  2. Identify key knowledge/skills that must be mastered (marketing, selling, programming, etc) as well as key character traits that need improvement (organization, self-discipline, focus, motivation, etc).
  3. Identify multiple sources where above knowledge/skills/traits can be improved (mentors, business associates, books to read, organizations to join, conferences/seminars to attend).
  4. Take action by diving into these sources. Read the books, join and become active in the organizations, attend the conferences/seminars, and learn from the key individuals.
  5. Patiently apply the new knowledge to your business and life, realizing that even small gains will compound exponentially as you continue running this cycle year after year.
  6. Pass on your new wisdom to others by sharing advice, writing, volunteering, mentoring others, etc. Maintain a noncompetitive abundance mentality.
  7. Repeat from step 1.

The amateur sees personal development in narrow, monodimensional terms -- i.e. becoming a better developer. Efforts are focused on acquiring more knowledge within this limited field. A shareware amateur's bookshelf will be dominated by books within a narrow field, such as software development, virtually ignoring other crucial parts of the business like marketing and sales.

By contrast the professional takes a holistic approach. The professional understands that all areas of one's life are intertwined, and that a weakness in one area (such as financial management) can detract from strengths in other areas (such as programming). The professional's bookshelf will likely be filled with a varied mix of books on topics such as business, marketing, sales, finance, technology, psychology, philosophy, health, and relationships. The professional keeps an open mind to acquiring knowledge through a variety of media, perhaps reading a book on software development, having a discussion with peers about marketing, listening to an audio program on time management, and attending a seminar on sales techniques. The professional seeks to advance on multiple fronts, understading that a 10% improvement in five different areas will yield better results than a 50% improvement in just one.

The amateur guards knowledge as a scarce resource... a competitive edge. Thus, the amateur rarely becomes known in professional circles, thus missing out on scores of lucrative opportunities that professionals frequently share with each other. This attitude constricts the flow of new knowledge back to the amateur, and the result is that the amateur is cut-off and isolated from the "inner circle" of the highly successful within his/her industry. Few bother to help the amateur directly because the amateur has never done anything for them and is relatively unknown. The amateur is stuck in a downward spiral of scarcity where growing the business feels like climbing a mountain.

Conversely, the professional understands the importance of information flow and that passing on knowledge to others only deepens his/her own understanding. This sharing of knowledge plants seeds of abundance that benefit the professional for years to come. By giving openly and generously, the professional develops a positive reputation that attracts other professionals. An abundance of new opportunities flow to the professional through this network, seemingly without effort. This creates an upward spiral where the professional is able to leverage this network to grow his/her business with relative ease.

Finally, lets dive into the...





Psychological Factors

Contents
  Product Development Cycle
  Personal Development
  Psychological Factors

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