Lemme know if you've ever been in this situation. You're sitting down writing something, and you've been struggling for hours trying to find the right words.


It's super painful and frustrating, and no good ideas are coming to your head. But all of a sudden, something hits you. The right words magically seem to just come to you.


It's like you've been mining in a cold, dark cave for days, and you finally struck gold. Or maybe you're playing around on the piano trying to improvise something, and you're not coming up with anything good.


But then all of a sudden you try something new, and you somehow pull off a brilliant new melody. It's like genius struck for a brief moment and then faded from existence.


Moments like these seem to fall upon us kind of randomly and without warning.


While we're in them, it's almost euphoric. Things kind of click together and start making sense, like the pieces to a giant complex puzzle are starting to snap themselves together. But most of the time, this just isn't how things go.


Practicing an instrument is usually tedious and boring. Writing is difficult. But as we're trudging through these activities, we remember those brief bouts of brilliance and we hope that this time when we're participating in our craft, it can be like that one time when things just clicked.


Although they may seem like it, these little flashes of brilliance aren't just random and nonsensical. They are a window, through which we can catch a glimpse of our potential.


It's like a little preview of the power that we all possess inside of us. A power that makes this elusive state of brilliance and creativity into a consistent and replicable reality.


And if we're able to fully develop this power, it can give us a greater command over ourselves, over others, and the world around us. This power is called mastery.


Now when most people think of the word mastery, they think of somebody really good at something. Beethoven was a master composer and musician.


And most people would say that Martin Scorsese is a master filmmaker. But mastery is a lot more than just being good at something. Because the master has such a thorough understanding of his craft, that it becomes like an extension of himself.


It becomes a language they can use to influence and inspire other people in a way that seems almost magical. A masterpiece of literature can bring us tears of joy or tears of bitter sadness.


And a master painting can cause us to reflect on the fleeting nature of time or the nature of our very existence.


It's as if the master, through their expertise, has access to something like the heart of life. But a lot of people disqualify themselves from ever achieving mastery in whatever their craft is.


You know, if they're a normal person like you or me, we tend to think that we're incapable of achieving mastery like some of the greats before us.


We may be tempted to think that mastery is reserved for the genius or the child prodigy. But the truth is mastery is something that already exists inside you, and it's up to you to develop it.


So how does one go about developing their mastery? Well, you may have heard that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become a master at something. And this is kind of true.


You do need an insane amount of practice at your given craft to achieve mastery. But it isn't just a numbers game. You're probably never going to put in that amount of time practicing a craft if you don't enjoy it.


This is why the first step of mastery is to discover your calling. Everyone who has ever lived has at least one thing that sets their imagination on fire.


Something we feel naturally drawn towards or fascinated by. Whether that's constructing something, or solving a problem, or playing an instrument, because of your unique brain, you have certain things you dislike doing and certain things that you have a preference for.


So really reflect on your life and figure out where your passions lie. If you like doing something and you feel important while doing it, then that's an indication that you can potentially become a master in this thing.


But passion alone won't get you far. The second step on the road to mastery is to eliminate the ego. Realize that you know absolutely nothing, and become a blank canvas.


You need to seek every opportunity to grow and view everything as a potential learning experience. Approach your craft with ruthless objectivity.


Don't identify as being good or talented at anything. Because that puts a barrier in the way of viewing your work objectively and being critical about it.


But because the ego is involved. You need to eliminate the need to be the best artist in the room, or the best at your craft, or the best athlete.


Because when you're trying to learn as much as possible, none of that matters. If you can eliminate the ego, then you can view the work of your peers, and figure out what they're doing better than you are.


And then you can apply that to your work. It also allows you to look at your work with ruthless objectivity as well, and scrutinize it more.


Find out where your weak spots are, and try to make them strengths. None of this is possible if you have a giant ego, and identify as a master long before you've earned that title.


Step Number Three on the road to mastery is to learn to embrace tedium. When you first approach a craft, you approach it as an apprentice.


Practicing your craft, for the most part, is going to be tedious.


It's not going to be very exciting. Applying new techniques and trying to stretch your boundaries is usually really uncomfortable, boring, and not very exciting.


Why does that look so bad? But if you learn to embrace the tedious nature of practicing your craft day after day, you'll eventually reach a point of accelerated return.


You start to become a practitioner. And the practitioner understands the complex relationships between each component of their craft.


They start to get a view of the bigger picture. They can engage with their craft more creatively.


Once you reach this stage in the game, practicing becomes a lot less
tedious, and more enjoyable. But the road doesn't end there.


You still need to propel yourself into mastery. You still need to find that deeper understanding. And one of the most effective ways you can do this is to move on to Step Number Four, which is to absorb the master's power. Since you've become a practitioner, you can use your competency in your craft as a sort of proof that you take it seriously, and you're willing to learn.


You can then take this proof to somebody much better than you at your craft, and work under them.


It's crucial that you find somebody much better than you at what you do, and learn from them so that you don't have to reinvent the wheel.


Your work can also be scrutinized by somebody who has the authority to scrutinize it. By learning from a master, you can then view your work through their eyes, and try to work on things that they would want you to work on.


And working alongside a master collaboratively is a great way to become one yourself. But if you're unwilling to take this path towards mastery, then this creative power inside you will remain undeveloped.


It will lie dormant.


It'll occasionally reveal itself in these little glimmers of temporary brilliance, begging to be fully realized.


Thank You For Reading My Article Today. I've been busy this past few days and I will update you about my project soon.