{"id":113469,"date":"2023-09-20T16:30:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-20T20:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=113469"},"modified":"2023-09-22T15:51:20","modified_gmt":"2023-09-22T19:51:20","slug":"path-of-mastery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/path-of-mastery\/","title":{"rendered":"The Path of Mastery: Expect a Journey, Not a Destination"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What’s mastery? What’s the life of a master like? Is being a dabbler, an obsessive, or a hacker keeping you from becoming a master<\/a>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want to master something, you should expect to travel a path, not arrive at a destination. George Leonard explains that mastery isn\u2019t an end goal so much as a continual process of learning, discovery, and exploration of that skill, whether it\u2019s taekwondo, oil painting, marathon running, or chess. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more to learn what to expect on the path of mastery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The Path of Mastery<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To begin, we\u2019ll explain Leonard\u2019s definition of \u201cmastery.\u201d Put simply, mastery is the continual, focused pursuit of developing a skill<\/a>.<\/strong> In this sense, it\u2019s the way of life lived by those who choose to walk the path of the master.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That concept\u2014that mastery is a path<\/em>, rather than a goal\u2014is the core of Leonard\u2019s perspective. To live his notion of mastery is to immerse yourself in the lifelong process<\/em> of discovering, refining, and constantly learning more about the skill you choose to pursue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thus, Leonard says, mastery is an endless journey along which you commit to deep, dedicated learning of the myriad minutiae of your chosen skill. The path of mastery takes patience and focus to steadily grind away at the fundamentals, build a solid base of basic skills, and choose to keep going. All along the way, remember that the end goal<\/em> isn\u2019t the point\u2014rather, the path itself<\/em> is the point.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Differing Definitions of Mastery<\/strong>

In his book of the same title<\/a>, Mastery, <\/em>Robert Greene offers a different definition of mastery<\/a>. Specifically, he contends that mastery is a state of fully developed creative excellence\u2014the point at the end of the path where you\u2019ve perfected a skill, field, or discipline. This assertion that mastery is a result, rather than a path, runs counter to Leonard\u2019s perspective.

At the same time, Greene does agree that there is a path of mastery\u2014just that there are concrete stages along it and that mastery is a final stage that can be attained. He explains three stages<\/a>:

Apprenticeship<\/strong>, where you build your foundational skills and integrate into the social fabric of your field or discipline through your mentors and peers.

Creative independence<\/a><\/strong>, where you begin to pursue your creative inclinations and develop your own projects, thinking, and so on.

Mastery<\/strong>, where you\u2019ve understood the entirety of your field\u2014all available knowledge as well as all available technical skills and social interconnections.

From Greene\u2019s perspective, you aren\u2019t a master until you\u2019ve gone through many years of hard work and training. In contrast, Leonard would argue that living as a master simply means approaching life (and your skill) with the attitude of a master: with patient, diligent focus.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Embrace the Plateaus, Reject Easy Shortcuts<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If mastery is a path, then the main features of that path<\/strong>, according to Leonard, are its recurrent plateaus or flat zones<\/strong>. Put another way, he contends that, when you develop a new skill, your growth looks not like a continual upward trend but rather like a series of long, flat periods of hard work with few visible results. Every once in a while, these flat zones give way to spurts of growth\u2014intermittent moments when everything you\u2019ve been training for comes together, and you finally achieve competence in the technique or move you\u2019ve been learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These plateaus are the main reason many people fall off the path of mastery. Leonard says that most, if not all of us, want to be good at something. However, we feel daunted by how long it takes to achieve real skillfulness. When we hear that it may be years before we can properly pitch a ball or perform on the piano, we lose all motivation. We don\u2019t want to struggle through the long days of grinding away at mundane, minute techniques with little to show for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Plateau Is the Path<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Falling off of the plateau, Leonard says, is a tragedy, because we\u2019re all born with the potential to be masters. Human beings are learning animals: We\u2019re wired to develop skills that we aren\u2019t born with, a capacity that no other animal has.<\/strong> We can learn to write grand symphonies, hike the highest mountains, create wonderful meals, or run faster than anyone ever has. We\u2019re all born with the potential to master some skill, be it music, athletics, relationships, or business. Wasting that potential is a terrible loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To avoid that mistake, embrace the plateaus you\u2019ll encounter along your path<\/a> of mastery<\/strong>. Since most of the path consists of these flat periods, we need to sink deep into them\u2014deep into the steady, diligent practice of fundamentals, repeating the technique dozens or hundreds of times. In other words, Leonard says, we must learn to love<\/a> practice for its own sake; to recognize that learning happens all along the way, even if the motivating results only appear to happen every once in a while.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Put another way, Leonard argues that to become a master<\/a> is to learn to do something simply because you love it rather than for any external rewards or motivations. When you have that desire to do something out of a simple, quiet joy for the activity itself, you know you\u2019re on the path of mastery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instant Gratification Distracts From Mastery<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

If we\u2019re all born with the capacity to be masters, why are the plateaus such a challenge? Leonard says that most of us fall off during plateaus because they reveal our real motivations: that we just want to look good, impress our friends, or have some fun<\/strong>. For Leonard, most of us aren\u2019t serious enough to pursue real mastery. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Leonard, this is because modern culture conditions us to want instant gratification<\/a> above all else. Advertising, television, and other sources of easy dopamine have taught us that the exciting, fast, and easy solutions are the best way to solve problems. This attitude has leached into all areas of our lives, and many people have lost the willpower to do anything that requires real, hard work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, Leonard says, this lifestyle leads nowhere good. When the pace of life is characterized by one high point after another, the end result is a dramatic fall<\/strong>. It\u2019s impossible to keep the climaxes coming forever. Like a drug addiction, each successive hit feels worse than the previous, and you\u2019ll eventually be fragile, impatient, irritable, and unable to focus\u2014unable to live with presence, patience, and diligence, as a master does. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three Learning Styles That Prevent Mastery <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Having detailed Leonard\u2019s definition of mastery and its main characteristics, we\u2019ll next look at three other learning styles<\/a> that he contrasts with the master, whose learning style is that of the patient, diligent, path-embracing person described in the previous sections. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The following three learning styles characterize people who aspire to mastery yet ultimately fall off the path. According to Leonard, people split into these categories into even thirds, give or take a little. He recommends that you try to spot which one you might be so that you recognize how you might be avoiding or neglecting your potential to become a master. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dabbler<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The first learning style Leonard describes is the dabbler\u2014someone who\u2019s always in pursuit of novelty<\/strong>. He\u2019s always excited to try some new skill, and he works at it for a time with great enthusiasm, often overcoming the first plateau to achieve a spurt of progress. However, as soon as things get hard, he becomes baffled and dismayed. His enthusiasm wanes, and he starts finding reasons that this skill just isn\u2019t really for him. Ultimately, the dabbler cares more about novelty and about feeling good than about developing a skill in any committed way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Note that novelty-seeking is not a personality flaw, as Leonard somewhat implies, but rather a natural human trait. Called neophilia by scientists, it\u2019s been shown that humans have an affinity to seek out new, stimulating things<\/a>. Neuroscientists describe this tendency as both an evolutionary tool\u2014being savvy to novelty in our environment would\u2019ve helped us survive\u2014and as part of our brains\u2019 motivational machinery for learning new skills<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Obsessive<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Next, Leonard describes the obsessive\u2014someone who focuses on results at the expense of all else<\/strong>. He doesn\u2019t care how he gets there; just that he does. He\u2019ll take shortcuts, work obsessively hard, and push himself unreasonably far. He\u2019ll try to perfect his technique in the first lesson, the first hour. He makes progress, but inevitably he burns out, falls off, and never returns to that pursuit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: The obsessive is similar to a workaholic, a type of person who can\u2019t stop working (or thinking about work) even after hours or while at home. This behavior is unhealthy to the extent that you\u2019re unable to switch it off or \u201cpsychologically detach\u201d from work. However, it\u2019s possible to work long and hard hours in a healthy way if you\u2019re able to then finish up and detach<\/a>. Given this, consider that if you find yourself with the energy and focus of an obsessive, that\u2019s not all bad\u2014you might leverage it to your advantage, working harder and longer than others, so long as you can switch off later.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Hacker<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

The final learning style Leonard describes is the hacker\u2014someone who isn\u2019t concerned with serious learning<\/strong>. Rather, he\u2019s content to know just enough to enjoy himself\u2014just a few chords on the guitar, just a handful of decent dinner recipes. He\u2019s content to be just OK at the skill, stay on the plateau forever, and never overcome any real obstacles to growth and development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: While Leonard argues for depth, or profound mastery of a single, focused skill, there\u2019s also value in building the breadth of skills that a hacker might pursue. You might feel interested in a wide range of things rather than just one skill\u2014and in Range<\/em><\/a>, David Epstein argues that this is an advantage in today\u2019s working world. Specialization, he says, is becoming obsolete<\/a> as we transition into a knowledge economy that\u2019s based more on creative, lateral thinking skills than the singular expertise of, say, a mechanic or doctor. With this in mind, you might consider that casual interest in a wide variety of things isn\u2019t so bad after all.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What’s mastery? What’s the life of a master like? Is being a dabbler, an obsessive, or a hacker keeping you from becoming a master? If you want to master something, you should expect to travel a path, not arrive at a destination. 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