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.)

If you want to join me on the path to mastery please subscribe to my blog and join me next Monday. 

Mastery is not a goal or a destination, but rather a process, or a journey.  It takes time, yet is available to anyone who is willing to get on the path and stay on it. Mastery is the journey to becoming the best that you can be in whatever endeavor you choose.The War Against Mastery 

By all appearances it seems that our society is waging a war against mastery. We live in the day of the “quick fix” and instant gratification.  Want a new wardrobe? Simply grab the credit card and you instantly have it. Need to lose weight, take this pill and lose fat while you sleep. Want to live the life of luxury? All you need to do is buy a lotto ticket. Have a headache? Take this pill for “fast relief.”

In fact, an ad for one state’s lottery showed a man laughing at people buying savings bonds while insisting the only way for an ordinary person to become a millionaire was to win the lottery.

The Path of Mastery 

In what are you striving for mastery? Is it your business? Is it your relationships? Is it your inner self? Hopefully, you haven’t succumbed to the idea that you can achieve mastery in the next 15 minutes. You do understand that mastery requires patience, dedicated effort, and the willingness to apply yourself for the long haul.

The path of mastery is no quick fix. Those who strive to be the best of the best choose it anyway. The rewards of mastery are worth it.

Next week we’ll look at Learning to Love the Plateau.

(This series is inspired by my reading journal of the book “Mastery: The Keys To Success And Long-Term Fulfillment” by George Leonard.)

(Copyright © 2008 By Dan Forbes, All Rights Reserved.)

The path to mastery is sometimes difficult and offers no easy shortcut.  Not everyone is cut out to do what it takes to become the best in their industry, in their sport, or even in their relationships. See if you can see yourself in these descriptions:

The Dabbler

The Dabbler is the kind of person who makes a great start but follows up with a weak finish. The Dabbler approaches each new career, new project, or new relationship with great enthusiasm.  He or she loves the getting ready part and the newness of starting something fresh.

The Dabbler loves starting a new job, getting a new office, and talking about how great the opportunities are. Then he/she hits a plateau.  Maybe this job isn’t so great after all. Maybe it’s time to start looking for something different again.

The Obsessive

The Obsessive certainly has a goal of becoming the best of the best.  She is focused on results and puts in long hard hours to get everything just right. She goes to all the seminars and courses.  She reads all the books and listens to all the CD’s.

There is much progress at first.  Then she hits the plateau.  Unwilling to accept it, she redoubles her efforts and pushes herself almost to exhaustion. She refuses to accept the advice of others who encourage her to be more balanced. She tempted to take short cuts and her work suffers even more.

Progress comes in spurts, followed by steep declines, until it all falls apart. When that happens, the Obsessive is hurt along with family, friends, and colleagues.

The Hacker

The Hacker is cut from a different cloth altogether.  After a mediocre start, he is willing to stay on the plateau forever.  He really isn’t trying to become the best. He never goes to seminars or training courses, never reads the right books, and skips the important meetings that are essential to growing his business or relationships.

He does just enough to get by and follows the path of least resistance.  He just can’t figure out why success doesn’t come his way.  He feels short-changed. The path to mastery is just too much work.  He would much rather just goof off with fellow hackers.

Keep in mind that it is possible to be a Dabbler in relationships and a Master at work. You can be a Hacker at golf and a Master at your profession -or vice versa.  However, more often than not one of these descriptions will be the dominant characteristic in your life.

If you see yourself in one of these descriptions you are beginning to understand why you are NOT on the path to mastery. Understanding this is the first step to doing something about it.

Next week we’ll look at The War Against Mastery.

(This series is inspired by my reading journal of the book “Mastery: The Keys To Success And Long-Term Fulfillment” by George Leonard.)

(Copyright © 2008 By Dan Forbes, All Rights Reserved.)

Dan Forbes, PL is a licensed Broker-Associate and Certified Residential Specialist. He leads the Forbes Advantage Team at RE/MAX Gulfstream Realty’s Lakewood Ranch Office in Bradenton, Florida.To learn more about buying a home or selling a home in the Bradenton - Sarasota Florida Real Estate market please visit Dan on the web at  BradentonFloridaRealEstate.com ;   TheRealEstateZoo.com ;    The-Short-Sale-Expert.com ; and   BradentonRealEstateClub.com  Call Dan Forbes today: 941-713-5760 or toll free at 800-756-3068.

Are you the BEST that you can be at anything in life? Do you have a goal to be the best Realtor, the best Mother or Father, the best Mortgage Broker, or the best golfer? Are you committed to reaching the level reserved for someone who MASTERS their chosen profession, sport, or goal?

If MASTERY is your goal then please read this series of posts.  You may want to go back and read post #1: How To Achieve Success In Every Area of Your Life

What is Mastery? 

Today, let’s talk about…What is Mastery? It is not a goal or a destination, but rather a process, or a journey.  It takes time, yet is available to anyone who is willing to get on the path and stay on it.

The journey towards mastery begins when you decide to learn any new skill.  For example, a Realtor may decide to master working expired listings. There are certain skills to master. How do you find expireds? How do you market to expireds? What words will you use? What scripts? What objections must you learn to over come? How do you become the best?

Learning to Appreciate the Plateau

Learning any new skill involves brief spurts of progress, each of which is followed by a slight decline to a plateau somewhat higher than that which preceded it. George Leonard in his book, Mastery, calls it the “mastery curve.” It looks like this.

To stay on the path to mastery you must be willing to spend most of your time on the plateau. You must be willing to keep praticing, keep moving, keep working, even when you seem to be getting nowhere. You accept that you must practice primarily for the sake of practice itself.

Too often we become frustrated while on the plateau. Our job is to learn to appreciate the plateau and in fact, enjoy it just as much as we do the upward surges.

Leonard writes, “Genius, no matter how bright, will come to naught or swiftly burn out if you don’t choose the master’s journey.  This journey will take you along a path that is both ardous and exhilarating.  It will bring you unexpected heartaches and unexpected rewards, andyou will never reach a final destination. (It would be a paltry skill indeed that could be finally, completey mastered.) You’ll probably end up learning as much about yourself as about the skill you’re pursuing.”

If you want to join me on the path to mastery please subscribe to my blog and join me next Monday as we meet three characters –the Dabbler, the Obsessive, and the Hacker.

(This series is inspired by my reading journal of the book “Mastery: The Keys To Success And Long-Term Fulfillment” by George Leonard.)

Please contact me, Dan Forbes, or call 941-713-5760 (toll free 800-756-3068) if you have any questions about our Bradenton Florida Real Estate market. Please visit BradentonFloridaRealEstate.com; The-Short-Sale-Expert.com

This is the beginning of a new series of inspirational posts which I will call “Mastery Mondays.”  I invite you to look for a new post each Monday and to read all the posts tagged with “Mastery Mondays.”

Yesterday I had breakfast with my wife, my daughter, and two of my grandchildren.  The youngest turns one year old soon and has recently learned to walk. The other is a darling, active four-year-old who walks and runs quite well, of course.

It’s interesting to watch a child learn to walk. That amazing first step is thrilling for them.  They fall down, they crawl, they try again, they fall down again, they crawl, and they try again.  And so it goes until finally, they walk and run quite well.

All significant learning in our life is like this: brief spurts of progress separated by periods during which you seemed to be getting nowhere.

Anything you are good at today, be it running, singing, selling, operating a business, managing a household, being a great wife or husband, followed the same journey.  At first it was difficult, but through learning and practice you mastered it.  This is the journey of mastery.

If you want to improve your life, or your business, or your relationships, this “Mastery Monday” series will help. You will learn to master anything you choose and achieve success in every area of your life.

This series is inspired by my reading journal of the book “Mastery: The Keys To Success And Long-Term Fulfillment” by George Leonard.

Please subscribe to this blog (see right) and/or come back again next Monday as we learn, What Is Mastery?

Please contact me, Dan Forbes, or call 941-713-5760 if you have any questions about our Bradenton Florida Real Estate market. Please visit BradentonFloridaRealEstate.com; The-Short-Sale-Expert.com