Mastery:
The Keys To Success and Long-Term Fulfillment
By George
Leonard
The Author teaches us about mastery
using metaphors and similes and the martial art Aikido. He considers it a journey and not an end
destination. According to the author, there
are four differing paths people take to master something. 1. The Dabbler- someone who loves to begin
he peaks and as he begins any descent he decides to start something else and
the process beings again. 2. The
Obsessive- someone who want to be the best as quickly as possible and at all
costs to avoid the plateau. They begin fine peak and then their path looks like
a rocky mountain range as they do everything to stay on top or at the climax.
3. The Hacker- Someone who stays on the path of mastery for a while, but is
okay with mediocrity and not having to do the work that mastery would
entail. On their journey they begin,
they peak they hit a plateau they hit another peak, plateau again and then kind
of just flat-line after a while. 4. The
Path of Mastery- a lifelong series of plateaus and peaks that slowly rise over
one’s lifetime. The plateaus hold as
much or more value than the peaks.
The
Author teaches five keys to mastery: Instruction-choose your instructors
wisely., Practice is a verb, but when used as a noun you are on the master’s
path because it becomes something you “have or are.”, Surrender- give in to
sacrifices and indignities that come along with mastery.,
Intentionality-vision, attitude, mental game or will power., and the Edge- a willingness
to push beyond safe or physical limits “to test the edges of the envelope, walk
the fine line between endless goal less practice and goals.” says Leonard.
Leonard then teaches about change
and people’s desire and efforts to have things remain the same even when they
do not realize it. He calls this
“Homeostasis.” Following this we are taught ways to get energy required for
mastery and common reasons why people don’t stay on the master’s path.
My
favorite part of the entire book was when he was teaching about ways to get
energy. It was number five-Set your
priorities. Basically, you are going to
have to make a decision and go. He
teaches that as we make decisions, we eliminate the other choices with their
possibilities. Some get upset or become
immobile due to the thought of the loss of so many choices and they choose
nothing. He teaches: “Indecision leads
to in-action, which leads to low energy, depression, despair.”
“Ultimately,
liberation comes through the acceptance of limits. You can’t do everything, but you can do one
thing, and then another, and another. In
terms of energy, it’s better to make a wrong choice than none at all.” I
really identify with this principle of “You can’t do everything, but you can do
one thing, and then another and another.”
I recognize the truth of it because of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I have seen this pattern in the scriptures,
in the lives of so many around me and in my own life as well. I feel it is part of a solution to a problem
we are having in our relief society. Our
sisters feel so much overwhelm by what they need to do that they do
nothing. They fail to begin and that is
where they begin to fail. The solution
is action. Leonard suggests we write
down a list of all the things we desire to do the next day or two, then to
prioritize those items, putting them in order of importance by grouping them
using the alphabet A, B, and C. Then do
everything in group A. Your most
important tasks will be complete. I can
see where as I apply this to my life and business, I will become a more
efficient person. I will gain energy
with each decision and action I take. One
foot in-front of the other, “line upon line and precept upon precept.” If this is applied to all business planning
and actions, I would be energized and motivated day after day. I can see a sense of accomplishment that
would come from this consistency. I can
also see there would be time/self management benefits involving more time and
energy to serve and love.
No comments:
Post a Comment