Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment

This book is a quick read that changed my life! The process Mr Leonard describes in this book is straightforward, easy to understand, and even easier to apply - as long as you can learn to love the journey! This will offer you a great insight into your successes, and other results, and show you a clear path to achievement. You'll be able to understand your own behaviors, and those of others, better and be more mindful of them to help yourself and others achieve your goals while enjoying the process (which is the actual goal itself). A quick warning: this can be a painful read, since we all have times in our lives when we have, and even still will, participate in the patterns Mr Leonard describes as 'Anti-Mastery'. Many have a problem with this part, but it is necessary to accept and come to terms with it, there is no shame in the feedback from past adventures unless you continue to not learn from them, this requires humility and letting go of pretense. If you can manage that you'll be on the path to Mastery sooner than you realize, without even realizing it! An excellent read in conjunction with Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience (Harper Perennial Modern Classics) or Finding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life (Masterminds Series) . Mastery describes how to love the path and progress, Flow describes how to stay engaged and progress when on the 'plateaus' that we all encounter along the path of Mastery. Either on their own is incomplete.

I read a lot of nonfiction, spiritual growth, and self-help books. Over the past twenty years I've participated in the "human potential" community and consciousness movement, through workshops, retreats, and support groups. Why have I never heard of this book before I stumbled across it here on Amazon??? This may not be the "best," most profound or life-changing book I ever read (a generalization I generally try not to make), but in terms of that rare combination easy-to-read AND profoundly thought-provoking, this book ranks close to the top. Leonard writes in a refreshingly plain and direct style, without relying on a lot of outside sources and quotes. I found "Mastery" just as provocative as, say, James Hillman's "The Soul's Code," and a lot less complex and redundant. See other reviews for details. But for me, the most helpful/provocative thesis in this little book (only 150 pp.) is Leonard's emphasis that real growth (mastery, self-fulfillment, englightenment, satisfaction--whatever you want to call it) comes in small spurts/peaks with A LOT of practice, even seeming stagnation, in-between. Recognizing this can avoid a lot of frustration. It also emphasizes that you have to love the practice (what Leonard calls the "plateau") as much as the goal, seeing "practice" as a way of life, not a means to an end. This is one of the best descriptions of "loving what you do/doing what you love" (as Rumi put it) that I have encountered.

Short read. It is a good starter book for someone who has not read up much on this topic. I've been reading other books that cover this topic and they go more into depth, much more, than this book does. If you don't want to go deep into these subjects, this book is for you. It is written to be useful for everyone, open for whatever you are trying to master. Perhaps due to being so general, it cannot go into depth as that might require being more specific. I wish the author had written much more about how to identify a "master" or expert instructor or mentor, how to find one, and when to move on to another master in the future. I also disagree with his idea of when you hit a plateau, to just keep doing the same thing you are doing continuously until you break the plateau. He is correct in that "masters" keep training and practicing, but they also find ways to keep improving when they hit plateaus. They don't just accept they hit a plateau and just keep doing the same training. There are many more modern books written on breaking through plateaus and the general advice is to reflect and make changes to what you are doing to keep improving. To get to mastery, you need to be continuously improving, even if only by 1% at a time.

If you're deciding whether or not to read this, think about the core message of this book: mastery is a path, not a destination. This book then lays out a roadmap for anyone seeking long-term fulfillment, giving practical wisdom for how to master specific disciplines. This approach directly opposes modern obsessions with quick fixes and instant gratification, instead opting for a more deep and meaningful approach to life's challenges. If you're ready to start your journey of mastery without any concern of when you will arrive at a destination, then I highly recommend you read this to be inspired and encouraged on your path.

***** This short and pithy small book contains a wealth of wisdom about mastery, which is described by the author, George Leonard in the introduction as "the mysterious process during which what is at first difficult become progressively easier and more pleasurable through practice", a "...long-term, essentially goalless process..." This book was written in the early 1990's, but its message is timeless. George Leonard relates the journey of mastery to his extensive experience with aikido. Essentially, the book was inspirational to me, encouraging me to be enthusiastic about perseverence, patience, and most of all, about enjoying the process of learning what I am most passionate about. Mastery is seen more as a journey than a destination. Chapters explore topics such as loving the plateau, dealing with change and homeostasis, getting energy for mastery, and pitfalls along the path. This book has a different perspective than others I have read. I would highly recommend it. *****

There are lots of detailed reviews here so I won't repeat it all. This book is full of takeaway messages that will allow you to approach mastering something, anything (a sport, an art, a language, you name it) more effectively. There are two big messages, and a lot of support: 1. The reason for mastery -- he compelling argues that it doesn't matter so much what you choose to master, pick something and pursue mastery. It has a life changing effect. 2. The process for mastery -- this is very compelling. He takes the concept of a plateau and makes it understandable. And shows how to reach mastery given the realities of what happens along the way. We're bad at this in today's world -- we want results right away. But that's not how it works. Committing to the process not the outcomes goes back to ancient Eastern religions, and its as true for modern life and success as well. He's distilled a lifetime of learning into a very short and useful read.

A client urged me to read Mastery immediately, and I urge you to do the same. A long-term practitioner of the marshal art Aikido, Leonard unveils the five keys to mastery of any skill or subject: Key 1: Instruction Key 2: Practice Key 3: Surrender Key 4: Intentionality Key 5: The Edge In this quick read, the author helps readers apply Aikido concepts to their everyday lives. He offers advice on how to handle change and homeostasis without resistance, and he provides suggestions for how to produce more energy. He also alerts the reader to pitfalls along the path to mastery. A number of years ago, Dr. Mel Levine (author of many best selling books, including All Kinds of Minds) spoke with me about the value of becoming an expert. When you become an expert in any subject, he said, you know what it takes to become an expert in another subject. Mastery is built on a similar premise. People of all ages (including kids) reap tremendous value from dedicating themselves to a particular subject or skill. Once mastery occurs, self-confidence soars. Mastery is a journey that only begins and never ends. Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment

A quick read that reminds you how effective your brain can be. Day dreaming and seeing things finished, dreaming them out as you'd like them to finish to the end. I've watched empty waves, big and small, and pictured me riding them the way I wanted to. It was more than a distraction it help my surfing. This book is a good application of that in life.