For one of my threads multiple recommended the book Mastery. Since I am a geek I tend to take book notes on all educational books I read.
Here they are:
Intro
- The master's journey can begin whenever you decide to learn any new skill
- Learning any new skill involve relatively brief spurts of progress, each of which is followed by a slight decline to a plateau somewhat higher in most cases than that which preceded
- When you start to learn a new skill you have to think about it, and you have to make an effort to replace old patterns of sensing, movement and cognition with new
- How do you best move toward mastery? You practice diligently, but you practice primarily for the sake of the practice itself. Enjoy the plateaus as much as you enjoy the upward surges of learning
Meet the Dabbler, the Obsessive and the Hacker
- The Dabbler approaches each new skill with enormous enthusiasm, he love the rituals of getting started, the new equipment, lingo and the feeling of newness. On the first spurt of progress in a new skill he is overjoyed, he demonstrates it to others, he can't wait for more. The falloff from his first peak comes as a shock. The enthusiasm quickly wanes, makes excuses and tries something new
- The Obsessive is a bottom line type of person, not one to settle for the second best. Results are the only thing that counts. He wants progress to be fast. He starts out by making robust progress, his first spurt is just what he expected. When he regresses and finds himself in a plateau he simply won't accept it. He redoubles his effort and pushes himself mercilessly. He is tempted to take shortcuts for the sake of quick results
- The Hacker, after sort of getting the hang of the new skill, he is willing to stay on the plateau indefinitely. He doesn't mind skipping stages essential to the development of mastery if he can just go out and hack around with fellow hackers
America's War Against Mastery
- Advertisements want us to believe that its an endless series of climatic moments, the race is run and won, the bake is already baked, the family and guests are there to watch the adorable three year old blow out the candles...life at its best
- Movies, sitcoms and shows follow the same pattern, one epiphany is followed by another, climax is plied upon climax. There is no plateau
- This creates the idea that our lives should consist of one climax after another
- We are bombarded by instant billionaires, crash diets, miracle drugs both legal and illegal, lotteries, sweepstakes the worship of quick, effortless success and fulfillment
- The war against mastery, the path of patient, dedicated effort without attachment to immediate results is a war that can't be won
Loving the Plateau
- Practice, the path of mastery exists only in the present. To love the plateau is to love the eternal now, to enjoy the inevitable spurts of progress and the fruits of accomplishment then serenely to accept the new plateau that waits just beyond htem
The Five Master Keys
- Instruction. Carefully choosing who will instruct you plays a big role. Pay attention to the instructor to student interaction. The instructor should give praise and corrective action about 50-50. He should be delighted teaching new and advanced students equally.
- Fast learners at times can be in a disadvantage, learning things slowly can help you understand the details of what you are trying to master. Work > Talent
- Practice. Practice is the path upon which you travel. Practice never ends, enjoy it. Mastery is practice. Mastery is staying on the path
- Surrender. The courage of the master is measured by his wilingness to surrender. Surrender to your teacher and the demands of your discipline. Accept that at times you have to de-construct your skill to re-learn it on a better level. There are no experts only learners
- Intentionality. Create a vision, clear and vivid, see yourself performing at the level you want, it will fuel your journey
- The Edge. Playing the edge is a balancing act. It demands the awareness to know when you are pushing yourself beyond the safe limits. However in the path of mastery sometimes you have to make a conscious decision to do just that. Remember before you consider playing this edge, there must be many years of instruction, practice, surrender and intentionality
Tools For Mastery
Why Resolutions Fail and What to Do About it
- You resolve to make a significant change involving getting on the path of mastery, developing a regular practice. You actually make the change and it works, feels good. You are happy about it....then you backslide
- Back sliding is a universal experience. Everyone resists significant change. Our body, brain and behavior have a built in tendency to stay within narrow limits and they have a snap back effect
- Homeostasis does not distinguish between what change for the better or worse, it resists all change
- Beat homeostasis by
Getting Energy for Mastery
- A human being is the kind of machine that wears out from lack of use
- We gain energy by using energy. There are limits of course
- How to get more energy
Pitfalls Along the Path
- It's easy to get on the path of mastery, the real challenge lies in staying on it
- Common pitfalls are
Mastering the Commonplace
- There are a lot of things we do in our daily lives that we do not count, waking up, getting dressed, driving to work...if you stop to think about it, most of the life is in between doing things
- Could we apply the idea of mastery to our every day lives and consider them part of our practice?
- Zen its not just the times you meditate, but how you sweep the courtyard or how you wash the dishes
- Life is filled with opportunities for practicing the rhythm of mastery
- Allow yourself to be foolish so you can attain mastery
- Are you willing to wear the white belt?
Here they are:
Intro
- The master's journey can begin whenever you decide to learn any new skill
- Learning any new skill involve relatively brief spurts of progress, each of which is followed by a slight decline to a plateau somewhat higher in most cases than that which preceded
- When you start to learn a new skill you have to think about it, and you have to make an effort to replace old patterns of sensing, movement and cognition with new
- How do you best move toward mastery? You practice diligently, but you practice primarily for the sake of the practice itself. Enjoy the plateaus as much as you enjoy the upward surges of learning
Meet the Dabbler, the Obsessive and the Hacker
- The Dabbler approaches each new skill with enormous enthusiasm, he love the rituals of getting started, the new equipment, lingo and the feeling of newness. On the first spurt of progress in a new skill he is overjoyed, he demonstrates it to others, he can't wait for more. The falloff from his first peak comes as a shock. The enthusiasm quickly wanes, makes excuses and tries something new
- The Obsessive is a bottom line type of person, not one to settle for the second best. Results are the only thing that counts. He wants progress to be fast. He starts out by making robust progress, his first spurt is just what he expected. When he regresses and finds himself in a plateau he simply won't accept it. He redoubles his effort and pushes himself mercilessly. He is tempted to take shortcuts for the sake of quick results
- The Hacker, after sort of getting the hang of the new skill, he is willing to stay on the plateau indefinitely. He doesn't mind skipping stages essential to the development of mastery if he can just go out and hack around with fellow hackers
America's War Against Mastery
- Advertisements want us to believe that its an endless series of climatic moments, the race is run and won, the bake is already baked, the family and guests are there to watch the adorable three year old blow out the candles...life at its best
- Movies, sitcoms and shows follow the same pattern, one epiphany is followed by another, climax is plied upon climax. There is no plateau
- This creates the idea that our lives should consist of one climax after another
- We are bombarded by instant billionaires, crash diets, miracle drugs both legal and illegal, lotteries, sweepstakes the worship of quick, effortless success and fulfillment
- The war against mastery, the path of patient, dedicated effort without attachment to immediate results is a war that can't be won
Loving the Plateau
- Practice, the path of mastery exists only in the present. To love the plateau is to love the eternal now, to enjoy the inevitable spurts of progress and the fruits of accomplishment then serenely to accept the new plateau that waits just beyond htem
The Five Master Keys
- Instruction. Carefully choosing who will instruct you plays a big role. Pay attention to the instructor to student interaction. The instructor should give praise and corrective action about 50-50. He should be delighted teaching new and advanced students equally.
- Fast learners at times can be in a disadvantage, learning things slowly can help you understand the details of what you are trying to master. Work > Talent
- Practice. Practice is the path upon which you travel. Practice never ends, enjoy it. Mastery is practice. Mastery is staying on the path
- Surrender. The courage of the master is measured by his wilingness to surrender. Surrender to your teacher and the demands of your discipline. Accept that at times you have to de-construct your skill to re-learn it on a better level. There are no experts only learners
- Intentionality. Create a vision, clear and vivid, see yourself performing at the level you want, it will fuel your journey
- The Edge. Playing the edge is a balancing act. It demands the awareness to know when you are pushing yourself beyond the safe limits. However in the path of mastery sometimes you have to make a conscious decision to do just that. Remember before you consider playing this edge, there must be many years of instruction, practice, surrender and intentionality
Tools For Mastery
Why Resolutions Fail and What to Do About it
- You resolve to make a significant change involving getting on the path of mastery, developing a regular practice. You actually make the change and it works, feels good. You are happy about it....then you backslide
- Back sliding is a universal experience. Everyone resists significant change. Our body, brain and behavior have a built in tendency to stay within narrow limits and they have a snap back effect
- Homeostasis does not distinguish between what change for the better or worse, it resists all change
- Beat homeostasis by
- Be aware of the way homeostasis works. Expect resistance and backlash. Take these as signals that your life is actually changing. Do not be surprised when friends, family and co-workers resist your change
- Be willing to negotiate with your resistance to change. Backing away is not the solution nor bull rush through. Negotiate
- Develop a support system. You can do it alone but it helps to have other people whom you can share the joys and perils of the change you are making. For best support involve people who have gone through or are going through a similar process
- Follow a regular practice. Practice your activity on a regular basis, not for the sake of achieving a goal, but for the sake of practice
- Dedicate yourself to life long learning. To learn is to change, its the path that never ends
Getting Energy for Mastery
- A human being is the kind of machine that wears out from lack of use
- We gain energy by using energy. There are limits of course
- How to get more energy
- Maintain physical fitness
- Acknowledge the negative and accentuate the positive. Being positive lets you have a better life, get sick less and have more energy. Deal with the negative quickly and concentrate on the best in yourself
- Try telling the truth. It works best when it involves revealing your own feelings
- Honor but don't judge your own dark side
- Set your priorities. Before you can use your energy you have to decide what you are going to do with it. Priorities can shift but before you act you have to decide what you want to do
- Make commitments and take action. The path to mastery is never ending, yet creating goals and setting up deadlines can help you achieve them. The firmer the deadline the harder it is to break
- Get on the path of mastery and stay on it. It creates energy for you
Pitfalls Along the Path
- It's easy to get on the path of mastery, the real challenge lies in staying on it
- Common pitfalls are
- Conflicting way of life. When things aren't going well on your path of mastery, don't forget to check out the rest of your life. Then consider the possibility that the rest of your life can be lived in terms of mastery principles
- Obsessive goal orientation. It's fine to have ambitious goals, but the best way to reach them is to cultivate modest expectations at every step along the way
- Poor instruction. Surrender to your teacher, but only as a teacher, not as a guru
- Lack of competitiveness. Competition can provide motivation, just don't let it overwhelm you
- Over-competitiveness. Don't think only about winning
- Laziness. Laziness is resistance and dependence. Laziness can knock you of your path. the cure for laziness is courage
- Injuries. Be aware of your body
- Drugs. Drugs give you the illusion of getting immediate success, at first it works but it inevitably leads to disaster
- Prizes and medals. Excessive use of external motivation can slow you down
- Vanity. Its possible to get on the path in order to look good, but to learn something new you have to look foolish at times
- Dead seriousness. Humor not only lightens your load, it also broadens your perspective
- Inconsistency. Consistency of practice is the mark of the master
- Perfectionism. Mastery is not about perfection, its about a process, a journey. Be willing to try and fail and try again for as long as you live
Mastering the Commonplace
- There are a lot of things we do in our daily lives that we do not count, waking up, getting dressed, driving to work...if you stop to think about it, most of the life is in between doing things
- Could we apply the idea of mastery to our every day lives and consider them part of our practice?
- Zen its not just the times you meditate, but how you sweep the courtyard or how you wash the dishes
- Life is filled with opportunities for practicing the rhythm of mastery
- Allow yourself to be foolish so you can attain mastery
- Are you willing to wear the white belt?
