Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment

(Written as a speech based on the book) 

                Good Evening ladies and gentlemen. Tonight we will be going on a journey of self-mastery.  I would like each of you to imagine a time in your life when you tried something new, a new skill perhaps. Now try and remember how you progressed or improved in that skill?  Was it quickly, slowly or somewhere in-between?  Did you enjoy learning the new skill or did you just want to learn enough that you could use the skill but not necessarily master it? Or, did you quit because you couldn’t master it fast enough?

Our guide book for this evening will be George Leonard’s book “Mastery: The keys to success and long-term fulfillment” as our guide as we discover how to have travel effectively on the road to self-mastery. Mr. Leonard begins by trying to define mastery. He says, “It resists definition yet can be instantly recognized. It come in many varieties, yet follows certain unchanging laws. It brings rich rewards, yet is not really a goal or a destination but rather a process, a journey…It’s available to anyone who is willing to get on the path and stay on it – regardless of age, sex or previous experience.” (p5)

When children are first learning to walk they start with free standing. Once they master this step they try moving one foot. Often this end with the child falling down. But where did the child get the idea that they can or should stand on two feet and walk?  They had a teacher. That teacher was likely a parent or sibling whom they had watched over and over. The teacher did fall or trip and probably encouraged the child to try and walk.  Earlier this week I had the privilege of watching a friends child go through this very experience. Kaden isn’t quite one and had gotten confident standing while holding on to anything that is around him. He recently started letting go of the objects to try and stand on his own. With his mother close beside he did this over and over again. Each time he fell he would look to his mother for her approval, which she offered whole-heartedly, followed by words of encouragement to try again. The became a fun game and I am confident in the next few weeks I will get to see Kaden taking his first steps on his journey to becoming a master of walking on two feet!

There are some key things that Kaden did that we should all do on our own personal journeies to self-mastery. First he had a desire. He wanted to walk. Each of us must have a desire for the thing that we want to master. Personal convictions will provide you a good foundation for your journey. Second, Kaden observed. He watched the people around him walking on two feet and chose the one that would be the best teacher for him. He could have chosen his older sister Katie who loves him dearly, but she isn’t always home when he wants to practice his skills, the same is true of his dad. So he chose the one person that gives him the most support and has proven herself a worthy teacher, his mom. His mother Kim, holds his hands and helps him balance, she cheers him on when he tries on his own. She makes a game of the activity so that he wants to continue on. She encourages him to try again when he falls. Because of her support he will enjoy trying until he is ready to move forward. This time between steps is referred to as “the plateau” by Mr. Leonard. He explains, “Goals and contingencies…are important. But they exist in the future and the past…Practice, the path of mastery, exists only in the present…To love the plateau is to love the eternal now, to enjoy the inevitable spurts of progress and the fruits of accomplishment, then serenely to accept the new plateau that waits just beyond them.

Return now to my initial question about learning a new skill and how long it took you to master it.  Did you learn to enjoy practicing the new skill? Or were you so focused on the next level that you forgot to live in the present and perfect it?

When I was a child my greatest desire was to be a cosmetologist. I couldn’t wait to learn how to cut hair. My impatience got me and my friends several interesting “hair do’s” over the years but once I entered beauty school I really learned to love the process of how to become a stylist. I was fascinated by the chemistry of hair and how holding your hands this way or that could cause a person to have a great haircut or one of those “just give it two weeks” haircuts. I practiced constantly taking the clients no one else wanted, staying late for the customer that came it at closing and even meeting people outside of school. My teachers praised my accomplishments and in time introduced me to more technical cuts and colors. By the time I completed school I had mastered all I could there and it was time to find a new teacher that could take me to the next level. This required moving to the next plateau and enjoying that journey until it was time to make the next jump. Each plateau brought a new sense of focus and opportunity for mastery and each was essential for the next plateau.

In his book, Mr. Leonard discusses the five master keys. They are:

1.        Instruction.  He says, “There are some skills you can learn on your own, and some you can try to learn, but if you intend to take the journey of mastery, the best thing you can do is arrange for first-rate instruction.” (p55)  As we already discussed a good teacher makes all the difference, Kaden could have chosen someone else but he picked the best person for him, someone who was already a master.

2.       Practice. Practice is an action word. It requires effort and the effects are compounding. In our journey for mastery we need to think of practice as a noun. “not as something you do, but as something you have, something you are…The people we know as masters don’t devote themselves to their particular skill just to get better at it. The truth is, they love to practice – and because of this they get better.”  (p75) This was my experience learning to do hair, I loved to do it. I loved people who would just sit in a chair and let me do. I wasn’t trying to get better I just was enjoying the experience.

3.       Surrender. “This means surrendering to your teacher and the demands of your discipline. It also means surrendering your own hard-won proficiency from time to time in order to reach a higher or different level of proficiency.” (p81) When you first enter beauty school they spend a lot of time correcting hand positions and posture. At some point you just have to trust that what your teachers are doing is right, after all they are experts and you have agreed to be taught by them. This was hard for me at first as I had been cutting with scissors since kindergarten! But the technique for cutting hair is very different and is important if you are to avoid medical problems in the future.

4.       Intentionality. This key focuses on your ability to imagine yourself as a master and often employs self-talk and positivity. There have been countless studies done where a person is asked to repeat a positive self-talk mantra each day. At first it is ackward but as the individual continues they start to believe the words from the mantra and it begins to empower them. While on the journey of mastery you must be able to visual yourself as a master if you can’t your destructive thoughts will prevent you from achieving mastery. A close friend of mine was applying for a position that she felt was above her level of experience. She was convinced that she wasn’t qualified. The week leading up to the interview she used positive self talk/imagery to see herself as one who was worthy of a capable of the job. By the time she interviewed her view of herself had completely changed and she went into the interview empowered and impressed enough people that she was hired.

5.       The edge. “Playing the edge is a balancing act. It demands the awareness to know when you are pushing yourself beyond safe limits.”  Several years ago there was a news story about a woman who ran a marathon 8.5 months pregnant. Many people were horrified that she would run in such a state. In a post-race interview the woman said that she had run all of her life and that even pregnant she was in great shape. She consulted with her doctor throughout her training and was consistent in her training. A week later she gave birth to a healthy baby, no complications.

We have spent a good time tonight talking about the path to mastery and I have shared some experiences with you. Now I would like to take a minute and tell you some of the tools that will help you on your path.  Don’t go it alone. Find a support system, someone who will encourage you and cheer you on, but who will also hold you accountable. If this journey is important to you, make time for it. Don’t give up part way because the journey seem tough. Live a healthy lifestyle so you will have the energy necessary to persevere. Recognize pitfalls on your journey and don’t let them stop you. Find a rhythm that works for you. Our lives are all hectic but don’t allow chaos to rule you, take control of the crazy and the serene and let them work for you not against you. Finally, start your journey today. There is no better time than the present.

                As you begin your journey, may you remember these two things: Self-Mastery is a journey, a process, not a race and find joy along the way.  May your life be full and may your journey be filled with peace, renewal and progress as you become the master of your life.