Mastery

One of the most valuable lessons I learned in life was that the key to mastery is a continuum of:

Learn → Do → Teach → Learn → Do → Teach → Learn → Do → Teach

The more we learn, the more we can do. The more we teach, the more we learn. Students teach us, but when what we learn needs to be taught, we maintain a hyper focus in everything we do.

The better we understand, the more we can. the more we can, the more we understand.

If you really want to take it up a notch - perform (or publish/present)... share your work. The reason we don't is because of criticism. Remember this important lesson:

"Who does criticism hurt the most? The one being critical."

Summary of Mastery by Robert Greene

Finding your Life's Task

"The first move toward mastery is always inward - learning who you really are and reconnecting with that innate force. Knowing it with clarity, you will find your way to the proper career path and everything else will fall into place." — Robert Greene, Mastery

Set aside enough time to discover the things that lead you to the career path of your dreams. One of the things most people experience as children that leads them towards their true passions is suppressed by society and it often takes dedicated effort on your part to uncover it.

  1. Return to your origins: You may have always known this is what you wanted to do or that you were talented in a certain field, but struggling with it. You might want to think back and see what you were interested in when we was younger since that could be what sets your future goals
  2. Occupy the perfect niche: Find a field that's a natural fit for you.
  3. Avoid the false path: Avoid the shiny allure of fame, fortune and glamour. For instance, becoming an accountant may not sound as fun or glamorous as being a journalist, but if that's what you truly love and have always wanted to do, then get all the help you need to be an accountant.
  4. Let go of the past: The past is meant to inform the future, not define it. If you do not accord with your decision and want to change it, do not be afraid to take a different path.
  5. Find your way back: You'll struggle with many hardships along the way, but if you want to take a hiatus, you can always come back.

Skill Acquisition - Practice/Experiment

Collecting "recipes" or methods and skills is the first step in mastering a chosen skill. This can be a part of Novice or Advanced stages. Recipes are instructions found in books, classes, blogs, and any other guides with one skill that builds on other skills.

Think about what you need and who you're most comfortable with before finding a mentor.: "In this case, the right choice can perhaps provide what your parents didn't give you — support, confidence, direction, space to discover things on your own." - Robert Greene, Mastery

  1. Gaze into the mentor's mirror to reflect on your weaknesses. They will help create an objective point of view that will ultimately make you more confident in your skills and abilities.
  2. Transmute their ideas: As you learn concepts from your mentors, make them better and unique in a way that reflects your style.
  3. Create a back and forth dynamic: Both parties should have an idea of what they want to learn. Do your research and make your expectations clear. At the same time, be humble enough to understand that perhaps the other person might know something you don't about their subject matter.

Awaken the Dimensional Mind

  1. Cultivate Negative Capability: Practice imagining that everything can go wrong, anytime. This will help you to work with your anxiety and accept the uncertain outcomes that may follow. (WOOP)
  2. Allow for Serendipity: Embrace the unknown and experience new things. Things may be scary at first, but you will grow from them
  3. Alternate the Mind Through "the Current": Tap into the unconscious, some may call it the source, and some even refer to it as the universe. Be open to the sea of inspiration and it will shock you at the kind of inspiration you receive. If you practice it enough, and get really deep into it, you can discover an ideology that is far beyond what you would come up with on your own.
  4. Alter Your Perspective: When faced with a problem or subject, try approaching it from a different angle. Identify the ambiguity of the issue and see how it remains connected or differs to others.
  5. Revert to Primal Intelligence: The spoken word is limiting. Get a visual representation of the topic with diagrams, graphs, and charts to deliver more meaning.

Attaining Mastery

True mastery is only attained by combining intuition with reality. Once you do this, your work becomes alive and new powers will start allowing you to create content that can reach a global audience.

  1. Internalize the Details - The Life Force / The Elon Vitale: View your work as something living. Study and absorb its details to the point where you can express it effortlessly.
  2. Submit to the Other — The Inside Out Perspective: When you are trying to come up with a good idea, you should let others offer their opinion. Feedback helps make your idea better!
  3. Synthesize all forms of knowledge - The Universal Man/Woman: You should always try to learn more about your craft. Getting creative and trying new things are the best ways to get better. Being outside your comfort zone will give you an opportunity to experiment with new ideas and grow even more.
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