1. Announce who you are. You need to call yourself a writer before you become one. The great Epictetus said it the best when he said the following:

“First say to yourself what you would be, and then do what you have to do.”

2. Then do what a person with your new identity does. Writer writes. Actor acts. Do that.

3. Make a plan to do often, what a person with your new identity does. Daily is best. Thrice a week is good. And if you go longer than 3-4 days without doing you are making your journey difficult. Early in the process of transformation, it is ok to practice without looking outwards.

4. Once you get in the groove and build some expertise, find external benchmarks to keep a track of your progress and to see how far you are from the mark. Don’t use this benchmark for comparison but to measure progress. There is a subtle difference between the two.

5. Start sharing what you are learning.

6. By this time, you would have experienced some frustrations or you would have made some mistakes. And you’d want to quit. Don’t. Take it in your stride and continue on the path.

7. Starting selling what you are a pro at. Even if you don’t need the money. See what the world is willing to pay for it. Getting paid for something is a clear sign that you’re moving from being an amateur to a pro. And, just like that, YOU WILL BECOME A PRO.

Reaching this point does not mean that you’ll stop practicing. BUT you can now do it with the quiet confidence in having found your path.