{"id":69643,"date":"2022-06-15T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-06-15T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=69643"},"modified":"2022-06-27T15:49:17","modified_gmt":"2022-06-27T19:49:17","slug":"levels-of-mastery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/levels-of-mastery\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Levels of Mastery: Robert Greene&#8217;s Path to Excellence"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>What&#8217;s the path to excellence? What are the different levels of mastery?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In <em>Mastery<\/em>, Robert Greene argues that there is a clear path anyone can follow to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/become-an-expert\/\">achieve mastery<\/a>, the highest level of creative excellence. He explains the three levels of mastery, and he argues that pursuing it yields a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/living-a-fulfilled-life\/\">fulfilling life<\/a> and great creative power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Keep reading to learn about these three levels of mastery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-levels-of-mastery\">Levels of Mastery<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Attaining mastery is a lifelong process of growth and discovery. Greene explains that you can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-master-anything\/\">become a master<\/a> by persevering through three levels of mastery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Level #1: Foundational Training<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Having established a connection to your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/negative-inner-voice\/\">inner voice<\/a> and committed to acting in accord with it, it\u2019s time to pursue your foundational training. Greene explains that <strong>all masters undergo a rigorous, self-directed practical education<\/strong> after finishing conventional education in school, which teaches mostly theory. This practical education involves three tasks, which we\u2019ll cover below: learning the ropes of your field, developing key skills, and testing your progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: In <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/black-box-thinking\"><em>Black Box Thinking<\/em><\/a>, Matthew Syed argues that <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/black-box-thinking\/part-1#top-down-vs-bottom-up-learning\">practice and theory develop in tandem<\/a>. That is, people with practical knowledge often innovate without comprehensive theoretical knowledge\u2014think of the Wright brothers creating airplanes through trial-and-error. At the same time, theory often leads to practical advances\u2014for instance, Charles <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/what-is-darwinian-evolution\/\">Darwin\u2019s theory of evolution<\/a> began with an idea, yet it has sparked immense change in science and culture.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Task #1: Learn the Ropes<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Greene explains that<strong> in any career field, there are existing rules, norms, and conventions that people follow<\/strong>. Learn these to ensure you can navigate your field and avoid offending people\u2019s sensibilities. There are <em>explicit <\/em>rules and <em>implicit <\/em>rules:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>#1: Explicit rules. <\/strong>These are the stated rules and conventions. For instance, a university gives graduate students attendance and performance expectations.&nbsp;<\/li><li><strong>#2: Implicit rules. <\/strong>These are unspoken rules that govern social and power dynamics. For instance, new graduate students might be expected to defer to older students.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Greene recommends staying inconspicuous when you first enter a field. Patiently learning the ropes teaches you to keep an open mind, set aside your assumptions, and observe before acting which, according to Greene, are key life skills and traits of masters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Patient Practice Brings Opportunity<\/strong><br><br>In <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/so-good-they-cant-ignore-you\"><em>So Good They Can\u2019t Ignore You<\/em><\/a>, Cal Newport echoes Greene\u2019s advice to start by building your skills. Newport advises that you first build skills that give you \u201ccareer capital\u201d\u2014that is, develop scarce, in-demand skills that afford you access to prized jobs. If you have the right skill set to secure a rewarding, niche job\u2014such as a luthier\u2014then you gain the autonomy and meaning of that prized work.<br><br>Avoid depending on the supposed truism that matching your passion and your work will bring you fulfillment\u2014that\u2019s not usually true, Newport asserts. Instead, <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/so-good-they-cant-ignore-you#rule-2-instead-improve-your-skills\">take on the mindset of a craftsperson<\/a>: Focus on what you bring to the table, and work continually to hone those skills.<br><br>The better you get, <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/so-good-they-cant-ignore-you#rule-3-cash-in-your-skills-for-autonomy\">the more opportunities will open to you<\/a>. Once you\u2019ve developed a highly valuable, scarce skill set\u2014such as proficiency in an emerging coding language\u2014you have leverage to negotiate with your employer for increased autonomy. Newport describes autonomy as the \u201cdream-job elixir,\u201d and he contends that it will make you happier and more <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/workplace-productivity\/\">productive at work<\/a>, since you\u2019re more in control of what you do.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Task #2: Develop Your Skills<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Alongside your observation, begin to train your technical abilities. Every field has its skills, and you\u2019ll need technical proficiency to achieve mastery. Greene recommends starting with one skill that underpins others in your field. For example, an aspiring novelist could learn to brainstorm and organize her thoughts before trying more complex aspects of creative writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Task #3: Test Your Progress&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you\u2019ve acclimated to your field and built your skills, Greene recommends <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/seek-feedback\/\">seeking feedback<\/a> by demonstrating what you\u2019ve learned. To do this, take on some responsibility at work\u2014such as a project or an initiative with which you can test your progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Begin to test your progress before you feel ready<\/strong>. When you publicly test your skills, you\u2019ll gain objective feedback from your peers and superiors. Avoid taking it personally\u2014feedback isn\u2019t strictly supportive, so remain objective and improve the weaknesses that it reveals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: In <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/thanks-for-the-feedback\"><em>Thanks For the Feedback<\/em><\/a><em>, <\/em>Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen explain that learning to receive feedback well helps you learn and grow, while resisting feedback causes problems and stagnation. We often react instinctively to feedback, and such strong emotions can get in the way of learning. To overcome this, the authors recommend <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/thanks-for-the-feedback#controlling-identity-triggers\">becoming mindful of how you react<\/a> and separating your emotions from the objective content of the feedback.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Level #2: Creative Independence<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you\u2019ve completed your foundational training, it\u2019s time to step out into the world. In this section, we\u2019ll explain the second level of mastery: creative <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/maturity-continuum-7-habits\/\">independence<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>In this level of mastery, you begin to pursue your own inclinations<\/strong>. You\u2019ve built a solid foundation of skills and knowledge, and you can now apply them to develop your ideas\u2014whether you want to explore a new form of art or a scientific theory. In doing so, you\u2019ll gain recognition and start to make a name for yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To achieve <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-cultivate-creativity\/\">creative independence<\/a>, Greene advises that you avoid becoming rigid. After years of foundational training, you might settle into learned conventions and familiar ways of thinking that reduce your creativity. Prevent this stagnation by taking the three steps to cultivate a creative mind: Commit to a creative project, pursue it to fruition, and persist through emotional obstacles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Curate Your Influences<\/strong><br><br>In <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/steal-like-an-artist\"><em>Steal Like An Artist<\/em><\/a><em>, <\/em>Austin Kleon suggests amplifying your creativity by <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/steal-like-an-artist\/1-page-summary#step-2-surround-yourself-with-inspiration\">surrounding yourself with art that you love<\/a>. In his view, there\u2019s no such thing as a wholly original idea\u2014all artists are influenced by others. While this may seem unfortunate, Kleon recommends embracing that you don\u2019t <em>need <\/em>to be original, and you can instead focus on what you love.<br><br>To curate your influences, fill your studio or workspace with art from artists that inspire you\u2014records, paintings, posters, music, or whatever else. Further, <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/steal-like-an-artist\/1-page-summary#start-by-copying-other-artists\">Kleon suggests copying the work of artists you love<\/a> to learn how they created it and practice your technique. For instance, you might deep-dive into the portfolio of your favorite painter, studying her work and figuring out how she does it. Then, what you\u2019ve learned will enrich your own process and repertoire of techniques.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Level #3: <strong>Mastery<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>After spending years developing your creative independence, you\u2019ll eventually achieve mastery. According to Greene, <strong>mastery comes about when you merge rational thinking with sophisticated intuition\u2014using your experience and learned skills as well as your openness and intuition to explore <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/there-are-no-new-ideas\/\">novel ideas<\/a> and thoroughly work them out.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, Greene argues, Western culture often fails to recognize this powerful combination because it esteems rationality above other forms of thinking and mythologizes high-level intuition:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Rational thinking involves laying out the steps you took\u2014showing your work so that others can scrutinize your process and conclusions. We consider this valid thinking because it\u2019s easy to show how you got from A \u2192 B and replicate the process.<\/li><li>However, high-level creative insights can\u2019t be explained so easily. They depend on complex, nonlinear intuition and lack clear steps from A \u2192 B. As a result, people attribute such insights to mystical forces like genius or talent.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Intuition Is Fallible<\/strong><br><br>In <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/thinking-fast-and-slow\"><em>Thinking, Fast and Slow<\/em><\/a>, Daniel Kahneman argues that <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/thinking-fast-and-slow\/1-page-summary#system-1-and-2\">we have two cognitive systems<\/a>: System 1 represents quick, intuitive judgments, and System 2 represents slow, deliberative reasoning. This model mirrors Greene\u2019s articulation of how masters create\u2014they use both the instinctive <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/snap-decisions\/\">snap decisions<\/a> of System 1 and the meticulous reasoning of System 2.&nbsp;<br><br>However, Kahneman emphasizes that these systems are prone to error. <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/thinking-fast-and-slow\/1-page-summary#cognitive-biases-and-heuristics\">System 1 functions on heuristics<\/a>\u2014that is, it references known patterns and solutions to help us make judgments, but these often shortcut the full complexity of a situation. If System 2 uncritically accepts System 1\u2019s input, you\u2019re likely to err. Keep this in mind, and try to reason through your ideas when you\u2019ve had plenty of rest\u2014stress makes System 2 more prone to biased thinking.&nbsp;<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Masters See the \u201cFlow\u201d of Their Fields<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Greene argues that with high-level <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/reason-and-emotion\/\">intuition and reason<\/a>, <strong>a master grasps her field as a whole, and she becomes attuned to its \u201cdynamic.\u201d<\/strong> In other words, she sees how the parts fit together and flow as one whole, and she intuitively senses the dynamic, evolving form of it all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Mastery Is a Lifelong Journey<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Greene explains that time and effort inevitably yield mastery\u2014he asserts that it takes around 20,000 hours. In other words, you\u2019ll get there guaranteed if you put in the hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However,<strong> the time you spend developing mastery must be intense and committed<\/strong>. You can\u2019t just go through the motions, because half-hearted practice yields half-hearted results. Show up with vigor and verve, putting everything you\u2019ve got into your work and taking every opportunity to learn, and you\u2019ll reap far fuller rewards.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What&#8217;s the path to excellence? What are the different levels of mastery? In Mastery, Robert Greene argues that there is a clear path anyone can follow to achieve mastery, the highest level of creative excellence. He explains the three levels of mastery, and he argues that pursuing it yields a fulfilling life and great creative power. Keep reading to learn about these three levels of mastery.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":69645,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29,42,43],"tags":[651],"class_list":["post-69643","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-career","category-motivation","category-self-improvement","tag-mastery","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>3 Levels of Mastery: Robert Greene&#039;s Path to Excellence - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Attaining mastery is a lifelong process of growth and discovery. Learn the three levels of mastery as described by Robert Greene.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/levels-of-mastery\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"3 Levels of Mastery: Robert Greene&#039;s Path to Excellence\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Attaining mastery is a lifelong process of growth and discovery. Learn the three levels of mastery as described by Robert Greene.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/levels-of-mastery\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Shortform Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-06-15T18:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-06-27T19:49:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/person-feet-walking-up-steps-stairs.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Elizabeth Whitworth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Elizabeth Whitworth\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/levels-of-mastery\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/levels-of-mastery\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Elizabeth Whitworth\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13\"},\"headline\":\"3 Levels of Mastery: Robert Greene&#8217;s Path to Excellence\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-06-15T18:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-06-27T19:49:17+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/levels-of-mastery\/\"},\"wordCount\":1523,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/levels-of-mastery\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/person-feet-walking-up-steps-stairs.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Mastery\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Career\",\"Motivation\",\"Self-Improvement\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/levels-of-mastery\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/levels-of-mastery\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/levels-of-mastery\/\",\"name\":\"3 Levels of Mastery: Robert Greene's Path to Excellence - Shortform Books\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/levels-of-mastery\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/levels-of-mastery\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/person-feet-walking-up-steps-stairs.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-06-15T18:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-06-27T19:49:17+00:00\",\"description\":\"Attaining mastery is a lifelong process of growth and discovery. 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