Recently, I had a conversation witha friend of mine. She is a former, highly successful model who isnow building a highly successful marketing business. My friend wasfeeling frustrated. “Amateurs,” she said. “I'm tired of dealingwith amateurs.”

I knew what she meant. A professional is someone who shows up,no matter what. A professional is someone who gets the job done, nomatter what. A professional is someone who does what she needs todo, when she needs to do it, no matter what. An amateur is someonewho lets circumstances, other people and emotions get in theway.

As my friend put it, “When you're a model, if you have a saggybutt, they tell you that you have a saggy butt. Then they tell youto go away. If you want it enough, you fix your saggy butt and goback.”