In the middle ages, craftsman had no access to pre-documented wisdom.
There were no books that serve as guidance to gain prowess over one's craft.
Apprentices had to learn the hard way by Observing & imitating the master himself.
This is the power of mirror neurons.
An innate cognitive ability that enables us to master any skill,
just by watching someone else in action & mimicking his moves.
Today, however, we're so privileged old Masters have documented their knowledge
for us.
Although we still have to practice, it's so much easier with all the information at hand.
Why should you care about mastery anyway?
great question.
Remember mozart, da vinci, thomas edison, einstain ?
All of them, if they didn't reach mastery, they wouldn't have been able to devise their
brilliant inventions.
Yes you can be creative & think up novel patterns without mastery.
But the most splendid novelties in history have been devised only by masters.
MASTERY is the highest level of intelligence one could acquire.
The first requirement for mastery is a visceral inclination toward your craft.
You have to love what you do.
Every skill is tedious to hone
but there has to be at least something you really enjoy about the process.
You know, Few of us have already chosen a craft since childhood.
But Most people are clueless about their passion.
If you fall into this category, experiment with various hobbies, skills then chose the
one you love the most.
Once you have found your passion, you're ready to enter the apprenticeship phase.
In my childhood, I had an uncanny inclination for rock music.
I would buy concerts on cds and watch my role models playing at an insane speed.
As I beheld their prowess with awe.
I thought "I" could play effortlessly like they did.
So I bought my first guitar & endouvered to mimic.
Yet I grew increasingly confused as to why I was unable to play at their pace.
My hands were slow, I was hitting many wrong notes.
Soon I've discerned my problem.
It was nothing but lack of deep observation.
I would watch some moves executed for a few seconds then rush to try them out hastily.
Wich is a sure-fire way to perform them wrongly.
You not only have to watch your role model playing but concentrate on every single detail.
Literally disect their moves into small patterns.
Practice each chunk individually then figure out how each part cohere with one another.
The same strategy pertains to business or any craft you're into.
When you listen to masters like mozart, to you, his skill seems astonishing.
But to him, that level of playing is the norm.
To grasp how he did it, you have to rigorously analyse every single part of the song.
In this first stage of apprenticeship, Forget about practicing.
Cultivate Deep Observation.
Second phase: skill acquisition
Once you've honed the prowess of deep observation, it is time to imitate.
In the beginning, running through the basics is tedious.
At this first stage, Most people are prone to quitting.
When you keep on however, regradless of tedium.
You will enter "the cycle of accelerated returns"
this cycle is accessed only when the basics are hard-wired.
They become effortless to execute allowing you to practice more intricate moves.
You can now tap into a state of deep focus.
Practicing grows less tedious by triumphing over new challenges.
Thereby driving the mere apprentice into an upward spiral toward mastery.
This is where mentorship comes into play:
Now an actual first-rate mentor is superflous.
Today, thousands of masters made their wisdom easily accessible on the web.
Absorb all courses, books & secrets related to your field.
Also, It's vital to seek out more than one source of knowledge.
learn from many styles.
Complacency is your foe.
Without a mentor, you're basically a self-directed apprentice.
You are to take care of yourself.
If you suck, admit it.
There's no point in mindless self-deception.
The ones who make massive progress are those who constantly look for their flaws & work
day in, day out to fill in the gaps.
We yearn to do things perfect from the start.
If not, We think it isn't worth the hassle.
Subvert your egotism.
Concede that you are an actual beginner.
Revert back to an attitude of humble inferiority.
Where learning more is your highest aim, not approval or
fame.
Also, Don't get lost absorbing too much theory.
The purpose behind observation is to grasp what not to do.
& then develop a practice routine based on neutralizing your own weaknessess.
We misconceive often that a guy blabbering behind a video, knows more about our flaws
than we do.
A vital element in your apprenticeship is to trust in the process.
Understand, you will face a chuck-full of setbacks, doubt & resistance.
The only way through is to remain faithful that if you keep on, if you do it long enough,
one way or the other results will blossom.
The creative active phase:
Your apprenticeship should take at least 10.000 of quality practice.
By then, you will have garnered tons of wisdom & skill to fly on your own.
You are now a master.
Mastery means you've internalised what older masters have contributed to your field
& now you're able to add on your own uniquesness on top of it.
The creative active phase is mainly about experimentation.
The majority of masters are unable to think up something unique because
after all these years of practice, they've developed the dangerously common belief that
"We now know everything"
They turn complacent, rigidid & strongly unwilling to break the rules.
To shatter these layers of stubborness, you should cultivate the dimensional mind.
An eerie fusion of childlike enthusiasm with a master's prowess.
To build your dimensional mind,
First rid yourself from your unwillingness to break the rules.
Creativity calls for flexibility.
Remember how little kids make the weirdest associations between ideas.
How they navigate the world infused with sheer excitement & curiosity,
intrigued by their odd reflection in the mirror or by the simplest things like "dad why does
the wind blow ?"
Tap into to that childlike spirit.
Re-summon your curiosity.
Unshakle yourself from complacency.
By reconnecting with that boyish eargerness to explore.
& mixing it up with the prowess of a well-versed master.
You create what Robert Greene calls the dimensional mind.
With this earnest expertise & keen tolerance to experiment,
you can easily connect the dots between garnered ideas & novel patterns,
molding the material into a marvellous masterpiece.