Today I am going to talk about what you need to reach mastery in any field.
The right mindset
This is where you need to start.
Carol Dweck wrote a great book called ‘Mindset‘. In it she talks about two predominate types of mindset. A growth mindset and a fixed mindset.
A person with a fixed mindset thinks you are smart or not smart. Good or not good. Talented or not talented. You either have it or you don’t.
On the other hand a person with a GROWTH mindset realises the truth. They realise that you can get better at anything if you put your mind, focus, attention and effort into it. They realise the brain is like putty in their hands to be shaped and grown in accordance with how they use it.
So KNOW that your brain is adaptive. What is called neuroplasticity.
Wherever you are now, at whatever age or skill level, know that you have the POTENTIAL to get better at anything you dedicate yourself to.
All it takes
As you know I am an avid reader and I recently read something that I thought was profound.
It was this idea that to be great at anything we only need to work on improving ourselves by 4% each time. This was extremely sobering and liberating for me.
It is a stark reminder that the aim is to improve ourselves by a little bit each time, so that over the long term we get significantly better. This is something that is known and practiced by all masters in their field – be they golfers, chess players, martial artists, writers, painters, singers, etc.
It is about small incremental improvement. Only 4%. Once we realise it is only that, it makes it so much more doable for us all. Much less scary too. The research I read suggested that if we try to aim too high in our incremental improvements (say 20%) we are likely to stress ourselves out, injure ourselves, burn ourselves out, or the likes.
So…look at improving by 4% every day in the thing you want to master. Be it a relationship, a sport, a professional pursuit, or just challenging yourself to push against that thing you fear. Just lean into it; bit by bit and eventually you will break through.
What could you improve by 4% each and every time you do it?I know that you, like me, can handle just 4%. And if we do it each and every day, then at the end of one year we are in a completely different place then when we started. How cool is that?So what is it that you could commit to improving by 4% each day? (and then go and do it!!)
Make sense? Keep me posted and let know thoughts. And feel free to have a dialogue with me over on my Facebook Page.
As always, if you want me to help you with a powerful coaching session, you know how to get in touch with me. If you have any comments or insights you would like to share, head over to the Blog, or jump on my Facebook page to continue the dialogue (and pick my mind). Also check out The Happiness Class on iTunes for some FREE weekly Coaching. And please share this newsletter with friends and family.