The process of Mastery cannot be rushed. It is not a ‘get rich quick’ scheme. Mastery comes from spending consistent daily time on a skill. For some it is practicing the piano or violin daily for years. For others it is the daily workouts that fine tune their Olympic sport. For entrepreneurs, this daily mastery is a combination of working on the skills that are the core of their unique business as well as the skills of entrepreneurship itself. Many say it takes 10,000 hours to become an “expert” in a skill or trade. This is equivalent to 3 hours per day for 10 years or 6 hours per day for 5 years. This requires the ability to be consistent day in and day out for a long period of time.
An important aspect of Mastery is being able to persist through the plateaus. As George Leonard discusses in his book entitled, Mastery: The Key to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment, many people tend to get off track during the plateaus of mastery. We often feel like we should always be improving or we are not being productive or reaching our goals. The reality is that improvement only happens in small increments separated by long plateaus.
In his book, George Leonard reviews the three types of people who did not make it through the plateaus of life or entrepreneurship. The “Dabbler” gets excited about a new adventure and goes all in. He then gets quickly bored and seeks the excitement of a new adventure rather than persevering to the point of Mastery. The “Obsessive” gets impatient with the lack of results that comes with a plateau and pushes harder and harder to find the improvement they are looking for leading to early burnout. The “Hacker” in contrast is easily pleased and doesn’t seek improvement. This type not only doesn’t mind the plateaus, but enjoys skimming by with minimal effort. This type actually enjoys the plateaus but their lack of effort never leads to improvement over time and never results in Mastery.
In order to make it through these plateaus we need to have a purpose beyond just seeing improvement every day. We need to enjoy the activities we do for their own sake. We need to be living in the moment and knowing that with consistency and hard work that in the long run we will see those results and continue on the path of Mastery but that improvement is not a reward we need to continue each day. It is during these plateaus that we need to truly learn to enjoy the journey because we may not see the results of improvements until we persevere to the other side of the plateau. However, these plateaus are the key to our success. Those who persist through the plateaus and can enjoy the journey will truly find Mastery.
“Are successful entrepreneurs born or made? Are entrepreneurs blessed with a rare gene or shaped by their parents and childhood? Turns out, these aren’t even the right questions. Entrepreneurs become successful, one small investment at a time, in a never-ending process. Because entrepreneurial success isn’t a destination, it’s a journey. A journey taken one determined step at a time, in a way that builds lifelong treasures.”
~ Are Successful Entrepreneurs Born or Made? The Acton School of Business
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