Mastery Mondays #5: Learning to Love the Plateau
From a child we are told to study hard, so that we’ll get good grades. We are told to get good grades so that we can graduate. We are told to graduate from both high school and college so that we’ll get a good job. We are told to get a good job so that we can buy a big house and a nice car. On and on it goes as we are told to do one thing after another to get something else.
Is this what life is really about? Having goals is certainly important and I believe everyone should have them. But the real thrill in life isn’t in the accumulation of things, but in the process of living life itself to the fullest. The master knows this secret.
The master knows that life isn’t one Superbowl game after the other. In fact, the life of mastery is largely spent on the plateau. The plateau is the place of boredom, repetition, and practice. It is where we develop skills and sharpen our tools. It is the hard stuff that soon will propel us to the next level.
George Leonard in his book Mastery tells the story of Olympic gymnast Peter Vidmar who said,
“A lot people go for things only because a teacher…or their parents told them they should. People who get into something for the money, the fame, or the medal can’t be effective. When you discover your own desire, you’re not going to wait for other people to find solutions to your problems. You’re going to find your own. I set goals for myself, but underlying all the goals and the work was the fact that I enjoyed it. I thought gymnastics was fun. And I had no idea that I might someday be an Olympian”
* If you love what you do in life and find great joy in the daily routine of it, you are on the path of mastery.
* If you love who you are and find life exciting, fun, and challenging, you are on the path of mastery.
Learning to love the plateau is learning to love life itself.
Next week we’ll look at The Five Secrets of Mastery.
(This series is inspired by my reading journal of the book “Mastery: The Keys To Success And Long-Term Fulfillment” by George Leonard.)
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