At Goodridge Strength and Conditioning we know that on the path to mastery, learning never ends. Mastery is not really a goal or a destination but rather a process, a journey. Mastery isn't reserved for the super talented or even for those who are fortunate enough to have gotten an early start. It's available to anyone who is willing to get on the path and stay on it regardless of previous experience. The modern world can continually bombard us with promises of immediate gratification, instant success, and fast, temporary relief, all of which lead in exactly the wrong direction. The masters journey can begin whenever you decide to learn any new skill, including sports, where muscles, mind, and spirit come together.
All of us are born geniuses. Each of us comes equipped with enough raw ability to achieve that seemingly rare and mysterious state we call mastery. If we are born geniuses of thought and feeling, we are also geniuses in potentia of the body, and there is undoubtedly some sport, some physical pursuit in which each of us can excel. But genius, no matter how bright, will burn out if you don't choose the master's journey. This journey will take you along a path that is both arduous and exhilarating. It will bring you unexpected heartaches, and unexpected rewards, and you will never reach a final destination. But you'll probably end up learning as much about yourself as the skill you're pursuing and although you'll often be surprised at what and how you learn, your progress towards mastery will almost always take on a characteristic rhythm.
There's really no way around it, learning any new skill involves relatively brief spurts of progress each of which is followed by a slight decline to a plateau somewhat higher in most cases than that which preceded it. To take the masters journey, you have to practice diligently, striving to hone your skills to attain new levels of competence. But while doing so you almost have to be willing to spend most of your time on a plateau, to keep practicing even when you seem to be getting nowhere. Why? We have to keep practicing an unfamiliar movement again and again until we get it in the muscle memory or program it into the auto pilot. The specific mechanism in which this takes place is not completely known.
Learning generally occurs in stages. A stage ends when the habitual system has been programmed to the new task and the cognitive and effort systems have withdrawn. This means you can perform the task without making a special effort to think about its special parts. At this point there is an apparent spirt of learning, but this learning has been going on all along. So, how do you best move towards mastery? To put it simply, you practice diligently and learn to appreciate and enjoy it just as much as the successes. In today's world there is a lot of massive disillusion with crash diets, miracle drugs, lottery's, and quick effortless success, a war on mastery that can't be won. Learn to love the plateau knowing that on the other side is success.
There is joy of regular practice and man is a learning animal. There are some skills you can learn on your own, and some you can try to learn, but if you intend to take the journey to mastery, the best thing you can do is to arrange for first rate instruction. Hard work will always beat talent and everyone wants to be the best. The master, an old martial arts saying goes, is the one who stays on the mat five minutes longer every day than anyone else. The master of any game is generally a master of practice. Larry Bird, one of the most complete basketball players of all time, arrived a hour of two before everyone else to practice his shot. The reason why he practiced so hard was not just to win or to make money, but because he just loves to play basketball!
To practice regularly even when you seem to be getting nowhere, might at first seem onerous. But the day eventually comes when practicing becomes a treasured part of your life. How long will it take for me to be a master? Well, how long do you expect to live? Ultimately practice is the path of mastery. If you stay on it long enough, you'll find it to be a vivid place with its ups and downs and challenges and comforts, its surprises, disappointments, and unconditional joys. You'll take your share of bumps and bruises while traveling, for the ego, body, mind, and spirit. But it might as well turn out to be the most reliable thing in your life. It might make you a winner in your chosen field. Master is practice. Mastery is staying on the path.
On the masters journey cultivate the joy of every stage along the way, for the master is always a learner. Golfer Jack Nicklaus never hit a shot without first clearly visualizing the balls perfect flight. He explained that a successful shot was 50% visualization, 40% set-up, and only 10% swing. Premier pro running backs described imaging each of their plays again and again the night before a game. They felt like the success on the field the next day was closely related to the vividness of their mental practice. Arnold Schwarzenegger argued that pumping a weight one time with full consciousness was worth ten without mental awareness. "All I know," said Arnold, "is that the first step is to create the vision because when you see the vision there, the beautiful vision, that creates the want power." For example my wanting to be Mr. Universe came about because I saw myself so clearly being up there on the stage and winning. Intentionality fuels the masters journey. Every master is a master of vision and masters challenge previous limits.
Practice is a habit. Dedicate yourself to life long learning. We tend to forget that learning is much more than book learning. To learn is to change. Education whether it involves books, body, or behavior, is a process that changes the learner. It doesn't have to end at college graduation or age 40 or 60, and the best learning of all involves learning how to learn. That is to change. The lifelong learner is an essential one who has learned to deal with homeostasis. Simply because he or she is doing it all the time. A life of mastery demands clarity. You can’t master everything. You have to choose what truly matters to you. Then, you must sacrifice lesser pursuits to honor your deeper purpose. To walk the path of mastery, you must be willing to look foolish while learning. Let go of your ego and attachment to looking good. And most importantly, set your priorities—and devote yourself to them with consistency and heart.
Make commitments and take action. Clarity leads to commitment. Once you’ve set your priorities, commit fully—not halfway, not someday, but now. Commitment demands action. Daily, humble, persistent action. Even when it’s boring. Especially when it’s hard. Masters don’t wait for motivation. They build discipline through action. They fail, they look foolish, but they move forward. Get on the path of mastery and stay on it! It’s easy to get on the path of mastery. The real challenge is staying on it—through the boredom, the setbacks, and the days no one’s watching. Consistency of practice is the mark of the master. Mastery is not about perfection, it is a process, a journey. The master is the one who stays on the path day after day, year after year. The master is the one who continues to try and fail and try again, for as long as he or she lives. The principles of mastery can guide you in whatever skill you seek to develop, whatever path you choose to walk.
