The Road to Mastery

“Simplicity is an extremely complex process.” – Torsten Müller-Ötvös

What do you see when you look at a piece of art? What do you fathom when you read a book, blog or post? Do you see the work of the artist or do you scroll over it, going on to the next piece? I love the quote above, it has been a source of inspiration to me the last 5 years. I often reflect on this statement when I am in need of inspiration.

The process of creative mastery is an exciting and rewarding journey. When we study the topic of mastery, it is easy to be blinded by the so called 10 000 hours. We need to understand that it is more than just 10 000 hours. The growth from student to professional to traveller to master and finally artist is clothed with intrinsic motivation, rewards and challenges. Some of these challenges few will dare to encounter. Many fail to sacrifice in order to taste the reward. The true path to mastery, is about more than mastery. It is about the journey. It is about the growth in character. The realisation that creating value stems from the needs and desires of my customers. It is focused on creating pieces of simplistic life enhancements for those I desire to serve. The call to mastery is not one of self-indulgence but of selflessness. Masters and Artists inspires generations through their example not their accolades.

The following are hindrances to creative mastery:

  1. Focusing on the product/design instead of the customer. If the service or product does not make life easier for the customer, then the success will be short-lived.
  2. Being driven by external reward. Being fuelled by applause will take us away from the journey and lead to number 3.
  3. Having false arrival syndrome. We do not arrive when we have created our first masterpiece. We can only stay in the zone of mastery when we are able to create continual masterpieces in different settings and times.

Mastery is a very customized and unique expedition for us all. No two people’s paths are the same. How can you keep focus in the journey?

Here’s a few tips to grow in your mastery:

  1. Slow Down. Focus on what you are good at and do it better, not just more.
  2. Create moments of inspiration. Mastery needs designed moments of inspiration. Recently our family visited the Legoland in the Netherlands. These 2 hours inspired me in various aspects. It fueled afresh my commitment to mastery. If you feel stuck, take a step back and find inspiration.
  3. Make it fun. Mastery is not about perfection. One day a young man was disappointed in the fact that a certain book he read, had some faults. His disappointment stemmed from his focused-on perfection and therefore he missed the core message the book tried to convey. Have fun, try to use your skills in a variety of ways. Make mistakes, learn and fail.
  4. Stay humble. Arrogance is the enemy of mastery. The moment pride settles in our hearts, our intention for growth in mastery muddles.

I hope this blog brought a little inspiration to you. Maybe it reminded you to keep going.

As Francis Schaeffer says “Every man or woman is an artist, creating a masterpiece by living his or her unique life”, may you keep growing in your mastery and inspire others through your life.

You are welcome to order your Mastery book or contact us for information on our next mastery expeditions at office@xpand-sa.com.

This blog was written by Cias Ferreira.