Pursuing mastery

Mastery: comprehensive knowledge or skill in a subject or accomplishment.

It is not often that we strive for mastery in anything. We live in a world where being a generalist is not only accepted but advantageous. We need a broad range of skills to be adaptable to an ever changing world. But I believe that everyone should work towards mastery in something.

Is mastery in the grand sense ever truly attainable? It’s unlikely for as we become more knowledgeable and skilled in a topic or area we also gain a deeper understanding. With depth of knowledge also comes awareness of our flaws and blindspots. So we continue to study and research and work to constantly improve.

Why would we work so hard at something with no end? Pursuing mastery is the ultimate practice in process. When we  work towards mastery we learn much about ourselves. Do we quit when things get tough? Do we give up when we can’t “win” something? Or do we persevere because that’s who we want to be?

The path towards mastery is filled with plateaus. Long stretches of feeling like you aren’t making progress towards your goal. And as you progress the goal posts move further away. So how do we work towards mastery when it can feel as if there’s no short term reward?

Rack up wins. Do something each day that can be an accomplishment. Read one chapter, run one mile, prep one meal. Plan for success. Learn what it feels like to be ready to succeed and get used to it. As you do start to add difficulty to your projects. Find that middle ground between finding small wins and also challenging yourself. Make it hard but not impossible. We only grow through struggle.

Pursue mastery. Being a generalist is fine but it allows you to never push past comfort. And comfort can quickly become complacency. And complacency isn’t living. I want to live.