Mastery — Introduction

Mastery is cerebral.

If we are to consider the Mastery of a Skill, achieving real mastery in an art or skill, there is so much involved in this process. We have to think about how to learn effectively. How to approach learning, mindset, attitude, how we deal with problems.

We also have to consider how we address our weaknesses, our flaws. How to identify them. How to improve in things that we are weak at, and even consider to what degree it is important to do so. Fundamentally, in my experience, true mastery means liberating our own unique voice — maximizing our strengths and natural inclinations, playing to our strengths — while at the same time limiting our weaknesses.

All of this together is a part of an exploration of mastery.

However, explaining mastery is not my intent. It is not — and never was — the purpose of these words. These writings are the natural result of my own pursuit of mastery. I constantly sought to understand mastery as I worked to achieve mastery in a handful of areas. And, after achieving degrees of mastery in those areas, these are my thoughts, recollections, and insights based on my experience.

I offer these words to you here not so that you can understand what mastery is, but so that you can achieve it for yourself.

Mastery In The Modern World

Mastery is an idea that I find is becoming more and more attractive — and relevant — to people in the modern world. Perhaps this is because of what achieving a pinnacle of knowledge and skill can give us in the world.

To achieve mastery means success, wealth, recognition, and power. It might translate to fame — at least this is a lens through which many might interpret mastery. After all, the masters we see are in possession of prodigious skill and knowledge, which often comes with wealth and recognition. It is also true that perhaps all of this is more possible today for anyone than it ever has been in the history of humanity.

After all, for the majority of our history we did not have the degree of equality of opportunity that those in the developed nations are literally blessed with. Which most people take for granted. We have access to information, knowledge, courses, education and training opportunities that are available to anybody irrespective of race or creed, the only real potential barrier being money.

Today we can get ahead by our virtues, in a way that the world has never seen before. I feel that all of these factors are powerful reasons that attract people to this idea of master. Fame, fortune, success, and recognition. But in my experience, those reasons are not good enough — not for me, at any rate. Those are not the reasons that motivate me. They do not even factor in significantly into why I do anything that I do.

My main quest is for knowledge.

Mastery of the Self

In everything that I do, I desire only to realize in the world what I can sense within myself. To translate what is inside of me into the world, in a beautiful, elegant, powerful, and brilliant fashion. I feel so much within me, and I desire to realize it. Nothing more.

Yes I desire to master myself, to understand myself, to have extraordinary experiences. However, I have done a lot of that already. And at this stage, I only want to realize what is inside of me at the highest level. To fulfil and live my purpose for this lifetime.

From my perspective, the search for mastery is the way to do this. To seek mastery within my various skills and disciplines, and to do so comprehensively in each of my disciplines, which themselves are extensions of the various parts of myself.

For many years it was a desire to discover what I have within myself, and to make sense of all that was moving around beneath the surface — not just beneath the surface of what others could see, but beneath what I myself was conscious of. As I grew more and more conscious, I began to realize that the real challenge was not in the discovery, but in the translation to reality.

Mastery As An Act of Liberation

Mastery is an act of liberation, and of self-realization. Through our efforts we discover parts of ourselves. Desires and talents. Hidden potential within us. Purpose, and some would also say destiny. Yet the discovery is the easy part. It really is.

The battles are the development of the knowledge and skills you need to express what is inside. But the war, the war is against yourself. The conflict between who you were, that is holding you back, and the person that you are trying to become, pulling you forwards. All of this in some strange, metaphorical sense is war where both sides are exerting an influence over who you are now.