What does it mean to be a professional?

I hope we can agree it’s not about the clothes you wear, the timecard you punch, the office you work in, your education, or even your title.

It used to be, but not anymore.

Today, “professional” is an attitude, a mindset, a way of moving through the world. It’s about how we see ourselves, how we present ourselves, how we see others, and how others see us.

In this article you’re going to discover 5 tools to elevate your professionalism.

The War of Art

Do you ever feel stuck? Uninspired? Foggy? 

Unable to do the important work you know you’re meant to do? That it’s your job to do? That people are counting on you to do?

Really, this could be the whole list. When Steven Pressfield wrote The War of Art in 2002 he couldn’t have possibly known how influential it would be.

In this tiny, double-spaced, to-the-point book, Pressfield asks, what stops us from doing the work we’re meant to do? His answer?

The Resistance.

It’s that sense of I just don’t feel like doing the work today. When you’re stuck, down, drained, or creatively uninspired, Resistance is to blame.

“Resistance will tell you anything to keep you from doing your work. If you take Resistance at its word, you deserve everything you get. Resistance is always lying and always full of shit.”

Pressfield’s The War of Art is a masterpiece that, in his words, will help you break through the blocks and win your inner creative battle.

Don’t think your work is creative? Think again. Today, all work is creative. And if you really don’t believe you’re doing creative work, then watch out, because anything that doesn’t require the human spirit is quickly being replaced by a robot, A.I., or automation.

So, better lean into the human side of your work. And to do that, you’ll need to conquer The Resistance.

I’ve gifted this book more than any other, and the response from friends and colleagues is such a reward.

Here’s a message from one of my clients I recently sent the book to:

“The War of Art is changing my life. I needed this so much.”

And one from a dear friend I sent it to last year:

“Just steamed through half of this. Perfect kick in the ass book!” Then, a week later, “Was just quoting The War of Art to a coworker. The ripple effect is real!”

Grab your copy and defeat The Resistance: The War of Art.*

Headline Analyzer

Giving this away feels like teaching you the secret to a great magic trick. 

Last year a colleague of mine who is a nonfiction book editor turned me on to the glory of this free service from the Advanced Marketing Institute.

If you’re a professional today, you need to capture people’s attention often, quickly, and with authenticity. Hint: Not with clickbait.

This is true whether it’s internal company messaging, external client-facing communication, or social media content creation.

But how do you know whether your copy is hitting the mark? How do you know for sure your language is reaching the right people in the right way at the right time?

Enter Headline Analyzer.

It’s super simple. Type in a headline, subject line, etc that’s longer than 4 words and the tool will analyze it on three metrics: intellectual, emotional, and spiritual.

Anything over 40% is professional territory. If you can hit 60% or higher, you’re really on to something special.

I use this tool to write article headlines, email subject lines, video titles, the first line of ad copy in social media posts, etc.

Just be aware: It’s easy to get so obsessed with the % that you end up producing a headline that no longer sounds human, or makes sense. A lower number that sounds like a real person is always better than the opposite.

Totally free here: https://www.aminstitute.com/headline/

Acuity Scheduling

That’s me, every time I check my inbox. It happens again when I open my calendar.

Most professionals I know use Calendly for simple meeting management, integrated with their calendar. And while it’s a great, free service, I needed something more robust and more… me.

Acuity is like having a virtual assistant who exclusively manages meetings working for you ‘round the clock.

You create as many meeting types as you like, group them by theme, color coordinate them, add images, set your availability, and link it all with your calendar which will cross-sync.

For example, I have meetings like “Networking Introduction,” “Catch-Up Call,” “TEDx Coaching Discovery Call,” “Speaking Discovery Call,” “Podcast Interview,” etc.

Then, when someone needs to schedule a meeting with you, just send them a direct link to a calendar exclusively for that type of meeting, that only shows the availability you’ve set for that type of meeting.

That way I can restrict my availability for networking calls just to a few hours one day a week, while leaving lots of time 5 days per week for my paid coaching clients.

Speaking of paid, are you a freelancer, artist, or small business owner who charges for their time? You can integrate Acuity with payment software and set prices for meetings.

Do you want these meetings to be Zoom calls? Integrate Acuity with Zoom and have certain meetings automatically generate a Zoom link, which is emailed to everyone instantly.

You need to collect information about the person booking the meeting? Design as many intake forms as you like and set certain meetings to certain intake forms.

Honestly, I started using Acuity shortly after the pandemic hit and it transformed my business by taking over 20 hours a week of back and forth scheduling emails.

Now when someone needs my time, I send them a single link and they do the rest. It automatically shows up on my calendar and sends me reminders, collects payment when necessary, and populates all the info I need to know before the call.

I can’t tell you how often someone books a call with me through this process, then on the call raves about how easy it was to do, and asks me what software I used to do it.

Now you know!

Try it out here: https://AcuityScheduling.com**

Share With Us

Being a professional today is about seeing and being seen. In this article I outlined three tools that help me look, feel, act, and be a professional.

Did any of these tools surprise you? Do you have an experience with any of them that you’d like to share?

What tools do YOU recommend for being a professional?

Sound off in the comments below, or send an email to brian@brianmillermagic.com with the subject line “Professionals.”

*Amazon affiliate link. If you purchase through this link I receive a 3-5% commission at no cost to you.

**I have no relationship with Acuity and receive nothing if you try or purchase through this link.