If you want to experience freedom in your life on a relative level you will have to learn new skills on a constant basis to stay on top of your game of life.
Mastery and the hero’s journey
And whenever you will learn a new skill you can approach it from two ways… do what is necessary to get by with the new skill – or master it and become as good as you can be in it. Welcome to the path of mastery… it’s the hero’s journey.
A friend of mine recently recommended a book on Facebook called “Mastery” written by a great Aikido teacher by the name of George Leonard. I am very interested in mastery because personally I always found outer goals alone unattractive.
Mastery as a way of life
What always inspired me more was to pursue my passions and own interests coming from the inside first and foremost for the joy and satisfaction of it. I enjoy immersing myself in topics that I am passionate about. Basically any skill that you learn can be approached from a perspective of mastery.
Whether that it is cooking, public speaking, writing, martial arts practice, fitness training, creative visualization, marketing, meditation, dating or love making. Whatever we learn can be approached from a perspective of mastery.
Mastery consists of 5 key steps:
1. Instruction
2. Practice
3. Intentionality
4. Surrender
5. Being on the Edge
These are the 5 steps all masters in an art or craft will have to go through practice. There are no shortcuts…
If you want to learn something for yourself and do without instruction it can take you a long time. If you want to learn how to meditate as an example you can sit down and try to figure out how your mind works.
Instruction
If you want very specific results with meditation and you know someone who embodies them it makes senses to approach this person and ask them for INSTRUCTION.
This is the fast way and it can save you much time and energy. To get instruction from a pro is a shortcut to mastery. So get over your pride and ask for help. This is the same in any area of life that you want to improve on.
Practice
Whatever instructions you receive you will have to take action and implement as soon as possible. No implementation, no practice, no results. If we want to master an art we will have to invest time, energy and often as well money into it. This then will be our practice. If we want to master an art we will not get there without practice.
True masters make an art out of integrating their practice into their daily lives. So they can actually live and breath their PRACTICE day in and day out.
Intentionality
Whenever we practice we can do it with spirit, focus and passion or we can do it in a mechanical, dull and unmotivated way. Again the more energy and effort we put in with our spirit the more we will get out. In martial arts it’s is about using training on the mat as a test for a real life situation that might be life threatening for your spouse, family member or friend on the street.
So the training should reflect that type of intensity. INTENTIONALITY adds life, focus and energy to your daily practice.
Surrender
At some time our practice will be challenging and our logical reasoning mind and egoistic tendencies might take over. At this time we might doubt our path, practice or chosen art.
In these times of the arguing and doubting mind taking over we will have to practice SURRENDER. We will have to trust that all fears, doubts and anxieties are just outbursts of the ego to maintain the status quo. Surrender happens with the heart and passion and love for art can only come from the heart.
Being on the edge
To give 111.11% is what will get you to the next level. BEING ON THE EDGE is the stuff that masters are made out of. It means to have the attitude to always give your best. Even in the most difficult situations you will go the extra mile in your own practice or to help others with theirs.
Even when your leg is hurting you are pushing yourself through your comfort zone to run the extra mile or sit for 5 minutes longer in meditation or try to write another paragraph on the book that you always wanted to finish.
The path of the master practitioner
These 5 key points about mastery can put you immediately on the path of a master practitioner whatever art you are intending on pursuing. Instruction first from a master if possible, diligent practice second on a daily level, intentionality of heart and mind third, surrender with your heart through love of the art fourth and being on the edge as the fourth.
Here the link to the book on amazon. I can highly recommended it.
{ 0 comments }
