Mastery is easy

Who doesn’t want to be seen and respected as a master?

https://psyche.co/guides/how-to-become-an-expert-and-navigate-the-bumps-along-the-way

This article is well written and has many examples and explanations. The citations enhance the credibility of the topics and discussions.

The title is about expertise but the text meanders into mastery. Do expertise and mastery mean the same thing? Perhaps not, but I could be mistaken.

I wish that the article had been shorter. In this internet age, our attention spans are so short. One who would have read it completely had the time to read it, and therefore, does not appear to be in a hurry to become a master. I confess that I didn’t read the article in detail.

The article has six sections. At the bottom, there is a summary section titled ‘Key points – How to become an expert’ which refers to one more section (preceding the six) titled ‘Prepare yourself for the long haul and more’. This section is not at the top of the article as it should be according to the author.

It’s easy to attain mastery. Repeat an action several times (if possible, much more than others do or did) and you become a master.

When you begin the journey, it would be a good idea to choose a mentor and a coach, one or more. The mentor could be there to test ideas, guide and assess progress. The coach could oversee your tasks to build your ability. Do they have to be appointed formally? No, either or both could be icons to follow. If Ekalavya could do that, so can you. A photograph of the icon as your screensaver should be enough.

Do you need a formal goal? Most of us don’t reach the goal due to distractions. When you so fail, it’s a setback that may discourage you. So, what’s the alternative? Have small, easily attainable milestones: each small success will encourage you to do more.

What happens if you do not reach the mastery goal or do not become a master as expected? If by now, you have conquered some milestones, you are ahead of many who didn’t try. You now have skills that your colleagues don’t.  Therefore, you have a lot to celebrate. Some day in the future, you will put your new-found skills to work, face success and failure, and they will both energise you to learn further and climb up the scaffolding.

If instead, you have not progressed whatever the reasons, give up. Pursue something else. Don’t kick yourself: we fail all the time. The sky has not fallen on you.

Hints for success: Take small steps. If you get tired or bored with the tasks, stop. Don’t continue if you hate what you do. Join a peer group of practitioners of the mastery you seek: your interactions with them will strengthen your resolve and fuel your journey.

Oh yes, don’t forget to read the article, completely. Despite my observations, it has no faults.