Introduction to “Mastery” by Robert Greene
Why Mastery is the Most Powerful Goal to Direct Your Life
“Mastery is not a function of genius or talent. It is a function of time and intense focus applied to a particular field of knowledge.”
–Robert Greene
One of the most worthy and meaningful overarching goals one can have in life is this: Choose something to master.
This is an idea resisted by many, particularly the young.
“I don’t want to be pigeonholed into one particular field.”
“I have too many interests to pick just one thing to master. I want to be open to trying many things.”
“What if I study, pursue the wrong thing, and change my mind down the road?”
“I am not gifted or talented enough to master anything.”
“I want to be free to change my mind and try new things. Mastering just one thing is too much of a commitment. I want to enjoy my life. I want to try it all.”
I hope to help dispel these misconceptions. In this article, and over the next six Mondays, we will cover the book Mastery by Robert Greene. In this masterpiece, Greene shows why the pursuit of mastery is not limiting but the ultimate creative freedom.
Through the stories of select masters throughout history, Greene illustrates the process of becoming a master and the undeniable reward of achieving mastery in your calling. By following the journeys of Einstein, Darwin, Da Vinci, and others, Greene chronicles the process of becoming a master.
Greene argues there is a pattern to this process which he breaks into four main stages:
Discovering your Calling or Life’sTask
Apprenticeship
Creative Action: Becoming Multi-Dimensional
Mastery: Combine Intuition and Rationality
We will decide on the following six (Stoic Monday) newsletters to present and discuss this journey. Today, I would like to explain why I have decided to focus on this book and the subject of mastery.
Why Mastery? Focus Over Talent.
The biggest misconception about mastery is this: It is reserved for the exceptionally gifted and naturally talented. This is a cop-out that many use to justify their lack of focus and sacrifice in a given field. Others seem to be blessed with a natural gift and become overnight successes. It can seem like no matter how hard we work; we will never create or achieve mastery in the ways others seem destined for.
When we study the masteries throughout history, we find quite the opposite. They all started as novices and worked in obscurity for years. None of them knew the exact path because, in many cases, they had to carve it for themselves.
They all had countless trials and errors—many failures. But the one thing all masteries seem to have in common is an unstoppable drive to realize their visions and satisfy their unending curiosity.
The meaningful reward from pursuing mastery doesn’t come from status or fame; one attains it from being a master. It’s not about ego gratification. If one seeks knowledge for these reasons, one will be unable to sustain their efforts over the timeline it takes to become a master.
There is a rule many researchers have noticed regarding the amount of time it takes to become a master. This is known as the “10,000 hours rule.” This was first popularized by Malcome Gladwell in his book Outliers and is covered in Greene’s Mastery.
The idea is simply this: to become a master at something, they must put in 10,000 hours of high-quality, focused, and deliberate training and practice. This usually means ten years of focused work in a particular skill.
Critically, this doesn’t mean just because someone does something for 10,000 hours, or a decade, they will automatically become a master. Most who do one job or skill for over a decade don’t become what many would consider a master. This is because of two critical factors which must be present.
The vocation or craft in one engages in alleys with their unique calling or soul.
It must be 10,000 hours of high-quality and deliberate training and practice. Not half-hearted or phoning it in. But deeply engaged, present, and always learning from mistakes and able to adjust.
Mastery is about becoming who we were meant to be in this lifetime. We realize the most meaningful work we can do with our time on this planet and finding one’s deepest calling. Expressing and exploring this calling in the way that only you can. This is a way of discovering our souls. (Link in the notes to an article I wrote called: What is the Sou? )
Conclusion. Who Is This For?
The ideas in Robert Greene’s Mastery are for everyone. It may be tempting to think this only applies to the high school graduate deciding what to study. Or the college graduate is entering into their career path. However, Greene believes understanding the process and quality of mastery is one of the most valuable things we can learn. No matter where we are in life’s journey.
Greene himself is a prime example of this. He estimates he worked about 80 jobs, ranging from construction worker to translator to magazine editor. It wasn’t until he was 38 years old that Greene published his first book.
He has since gone on to publish six international bestsellers. Greene is considered by many in the nonfiction field to be a master of his craft. But this certainly wasn’t a foregone conclusion. It took years of struggle, searching, and listening to his soul's whispers to realize his calling, or as he puts it, “Our life’s Task.”
Greene's personal story, as well as the stories of many other masters of writing, has inspired me to take on writing as a life’s task. I am seemingly late to the game as well. I started taking writing seriously last year at the age of 32. But I am encouraged by the stories of many great writers who found success and mastery later in life.
Furthermore, as anyone who is a regular reader of this newsletter knows, I am writing about mastery for my daughters.
The north star of this newsletter is the most important, valuable, and meaningful lesson I have come across in this lifetime. And the deep desire to communicate this lesson to my daughters. The journey of mastery is one of the most critical frames to consider when looking at our lives.
I hope that my daughters and you, the reader, gain as much insight and meaning out of understanding mastery as I have.
Notes: