Mastery

Today, I am introducing you to the mastery mindset. This refers to having a goal of mastering certain subjects, skills, or materials, and a belief that this can be done.

Author Daniel Pink offers the following about a mastery mindset:

• Individuals with a mastery mindset believe intelligence is not fixed but instead can be increased.
• Striving for mastery is arduous. There will be setbacks and obstacles on the path to mastery, and even without these, aiming for mastery requires dedication of time and effort.
• Mastery is always approaching perfection, but perfection is never reached. This elusiveness makes mastery both fascinating and, at times, frustrating.

Simply put, mastery is about non-stop improvement. 

While applying a mastery mindset, you go from knowing to doing to living. 

Here are some tips on how to approach a goal with mastery:

• Repeat - the brain learns through repetition. We’ve all heard that you must spend 10,000 hours to master something. Do it again and again and again. 
• Don’t worry about being the best…worry about getting better. Remember point number three above? Perfection is never reached, but you can always get better. 
• Be present. In order to master something, you must be fully engaged. 
• Be patient. There will be times of frustration and setbacks. Learn from these. 
• Fully commit. 

Whether it’s wanting to master art, an element of your career, or a sport, I also believe passion is necessary. You must enjoy the process and also be willing to create regular practice and dedication.