More on Mastery

One of my favorite study materials this week came from the book Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment by George Leonard. In the book, Leonard lays out the path of mastery for any type of skill. In the chapter on practice, this idea stood out to me, "The people we know as masters don't devote themselves to their particular skill just to get better at it. The truth is, they love to practice--and because of this they do get better. And then, to complete the circle, the better they get the more they enjoy performing the basic moves over and over again." When I read this, several examples immediately popped into my head. The first comes from my littlest sister who is currently 17. She has played the piano since she was little, and has gradually become quite masterful at the art. She loves to sit down at the piano and play songs from memory, tweaking them, and changing them here and there. She's also been trying her hand at writing her own music lately. For her, playing the piano is not a chore that she has to do, or a box she has to check, it's something she loves to do. She loses track of time while playing, & even has her own piano, which my parents moved into her bedroom.
I also thought of my own life and many of the hobbies I enjoy and skills on which I work. When I was first married, I wanted to learn to crochet in order to make some lacy snowflakes to hang on our Christmas tree. I started with a basic washcloth in order to learn the stitches, and once I had mastered those, I moved on to the snowflakes. They were challenging, but I pressed on. I loved making them, and even had a few people ask me to teach them how to do it. I taught a large group of women from church how to make the snowflakes, and I know that they've gone on to make them as gifts for others. It was something that brought me joy, and I loved passing on the knowledge to others.
The only way we get better at something is by practicing. When my children come up to me and ask for my help when they haven't even tried to do it once on their own, I usually encourage them to try it, reassuring them that if they try and can't do it, I will be more than willing to help. Often, they are surprised when they can do it on their own, and enjoy that feeling so much that they continue to do it. I am excited to learn more about the path to mastery. I am by no means a master at everything in my life, and I certainly see areas in which I can improve. Hopefully Leonard will have more good advice for conquering my lazy habits.