There is a linguistic trap in the word “Amateur.” It comes from the Latin amator—one who loves. An amateur does something for the love of the craft. A professional does it for the result.
The danger of becoming a “Professional” is that you eventually lose the love. You become efficient, cynical, and rigid. You stop seeing new possibilities because you “already know how this works.”
To achieve peak performance, you must bifurcate your identity: Professional Standards with an Amateur Heart.
The Distinction: Amateurish vs. Amateurlike
Amateurish is a failure of Standards. It is sloppy code, missed deadlines, and “creative” excuses for lack of discipline. It is a lack of respect for the craft and the customer.
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The Result: Friction, technical debt, and loss of trust.
Amateurlike is a victory of Mindset. This is what the Japanese call Shoshin—Beginner’s Mind. It is the ability to look at a 20-year-old problem with fresh eyes, unburdened by “the way we’ve always done it.”
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The Result: Innovation, breakthroughs, and a lack of ego.
The Protocol: The Dual-Track Execution
1. Professional Rigor (The Floor) Your output must be beyond reproach. Use the best tools, follow the protocols, and sign your work. There is no room for “Amateurish” mistakes in the delivery. Reliability is the price of admission.
2. Amateur Curiosity (The Ceiling) Every six months, deliberately approach your own project as if you were a competitor trying to disrupt it. Ask the “stupid” questions that a novice would ask.
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“Why do we use this tech stack?”
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“Does the customer actually care about this feature?”
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“If I started this today with zero legacy code, how would I build it?”
3. Intellectual Humility The moment you think you are an “Expert,” your growth curve plateaus. An expert defends their knowledge; an amateur explores the unknown.
#DhandheKaFunda: Be a Professional in your habits, but an Amateur in your spirit. The Professional earns the paycheck, but the Amateur changes the world.