Robert Greene’s Mastery is the cornerstone of an entrepreneur’s education. This fantastic book is filled with dozens of key points of masterful cognition, concisely packed alongside examples from history, both recent and long past. We will delve into the topic of Mastery in a 3 part series outlining a few golden nuggets which are highly necessary for crafting your self-mastery.
Levels of Mastery.
When under times of extreme stress such as a deadline, you may find yourself able to work with energy and gusto previously thought impossible. This last-minute fervor for the task allows you to complete the assignment, task or mission in an incredibly short period of time. Harnessing this energy; becoming able to unleash it without a moment notice on unsuspecting duties, is the crux of mastery.
There are three distinct levels of mastery:
- Student: Beginner and dabbler in the subject of interest.
- Practitioner: Moderate skills in the area of interest. Knows field moderately, not specialized.
- Mastery: Specialized and skilled in particular sections. Massive knowledge in areas of interest.
As humans, we are super adaptable; everything we imagine is achievable given a reasonable amount of time. Time is what leads to mastery. View your passions, because what they are is what will most easily become your mastered skill. Mastery is not a bygone relic of the past; Discard this view that has been shackled to you by society and embrace the idea that you can and will become a master in what you work on.
This is because, above all else, your particular combination of atoms will never happen again. You are a super unique phenomenon that cannot be replicated. Celebrate your uniqueness, know who you are and don’t let others change your mindset. Be responsible for your life.
Monkey see monkey do.
When you observe someone performing an action your brain can mirror their process in your head, allowing you to learn intricate skills merely by watching others. This valuable evolutionary tool benefits us immensely, because seeing another individual perform actions gives us a head-start in learning new techniques or methods.
Several key areas exist in which you can improve and condition yourself.
- Find pleasure in completing your tasks. – Chasing pleasure for its own sake and going from one day to the next trying to get a new fix will only lead to sorrow and disappointment
- Set 1-2 priorities and stick with them. – Don’t try to do too many things at once as it muddles your focus and narrows your vision. You need to keep a clear goal in mind to truly succeed.
- Focus on learning new skills – Embracing a skill deeply allows you to learn related skills faster and easier than ever before.
Learning vs people-pleasing.
It can be tempting to try to please others in what you do rather than work on what fulfills your own life.
People are only around you for a short time, coming and going at random, while any time and effort invested in yourself will be there for the rest of your life. Give yourself an education in your field of interest. Fight for it, pushing and clawing your way to the top of your subject of choice (or several fields, see skill-stacking).
To do anything well you must cultivate a deep understanding of it and a no-compromises attitude to get what you want. Here are 2 further tips to attain complete mastery in a subject:
- Child-like learning – Young children are great learners because they sustain a welcoming and open attitude to all knowledge received. Become humble and accepting when you learn from peers and teachers as a sense of false superiority will only hinder your learning.
- After learning, practice – You will know that your time as a student is over when there is no more to learn. After you master a skill, practice it. Do not become stagnate and fester away, practice to keep yourself sharp.
Click here for Part 2 of our Mastery Series.
About Eric:
Eric Deegear is an entrepreneur, author, therapist, motivational speaker & business coach. He holds a psychology degree and several therapeutic licenses. After creating and applying successful principles in his personal life, he began to utilize his skills professionally to help those looking to change their lives for the better.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed with the incredible amounts of deep inner work that are required for life and work. Change happens one step at a time with Deegear Coaching.