If you can answer “yes” to the following four
“Mastery questions” at the end of every week, you will remain on the
path to mastery:
- Am I surrendering to instruction? Allow yourself to
be molded by the insights of people who have come before you without any
preconceived notions. If you go into an endeavour with a big ego and
scoff at best practices, you will never grow. Leonard says, “The courage
of a master is measured by his or her willingness to surrender to a
teacher… Even those who will some day overthrow conventional ways of
thinking or doing need to know what it is they are overthrowing.”
- Am I practicing intentionally? The more vividly you
imagine yourself executing movements in your next practice, the more
enthusiasm you’ll have to practice. Clarity creates energy. Once in
practice, be fully present and conscious of your movements. As Arnold
Schwarzenegger said, “Pumping a weight one time with full consciousness
is worth ten that lack mental awareness.”
- Do I love to practice? When you love to practice,
you don’t need to worry about consistently practicing because you always
make time to practice. Missing an opportunity to practice is like
missing a meal. In the words of a master painter in the book who paints
in her studio four hours a day, five days a week, “It’s the routine
itself that feeds me. If I didn’t do it, I’d be betraying the essential
me.”
- Am I exploring the edge? You explore the edge in
your craft by seeking out resistance and negotiating with it. A master
ultra‐marathon runner will explore the edge by staying in a heart rate
zone that feels “slightly difficult,” so they give themselves the best
chance to finish a race and run a personal best. Just like the master
ultra‐marathon runner, seek to stay in a “slightly difficult” zone.
Reach that zone by volunteering for performances, routinely taking
tests, and putting yourself in competitions where you feel pressure.
You’ll know you are exploring the edge if for every two steps forward,
you take one step back. Loss and reflection are essential to
mastery.
Reference
