Mastery (The Modern Machiavellian Robert Greene Book 1)

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It might well be, in fact, that much of the world's depression and discontent, and perhaps even a good share of the pervasive malaise that leads to crime and war, can ultimately be traced to our unused energy, our untapped potential. If you have ever striven for mastery out of love, where you lose yourself in the practice and the practice, the devotional act of being is in itself its own reward.

This power is what our brains were designed to attain, and we will be naturally led to this type of intelligence if we follow our inclinations to their ultimate ends. In such a case, an alternate strategy is to find several mentors in your immediate environment, each one filling strategic gaps in your knowledge and experience. If you are not careful, you will succumb to insecurities, become embroiled in emotional issues and conflicts that will dominate your thoughts; you will develop fears and learning disabilities that you will carry with you throughout your life.The book is structured well, first telling you what Mastery is, then describing the tools needed to achieve it, and then describing the hindrances to achieving it.

The idea of a Life's Task brought to mind a comparison with Sacred Contracts: Awakening Your Divine Potential by Caroline Myss, which is also concerned with helping one find one's life mission. Seduced by the siren song of a consumerist, quick-fix society, we sometimes choose a course of action that brings only the illusion of accomplishment, the shadow of satisfaction. Mastery requires us to change the way we approach these periods - which we usually think of as unimportant "in-between" time. The fine art of playing the edge in this case involves a willingness to take one step back for every two forward, sometimes vice versa.Choose something that appeals to your sense of unconventionalness and has a hint of rebellion, it will keep you emotionally engaged. Alchemical Creativity and the Unconscious: Your task as a creative thinker is to actively explore the unconscious and contradictory parts of your personality, and to examine similar contradictions and tensions in the world at large. Occupy the perfect niche: Find where your interests align in a field to identify a particular niche that you can dominate. For one who is on the master's journey, however, the word is best conceived of as a noun, not as something you do, but as something you have, something you are. As your thinking grows more fluid your mind will become increasingly dimensional, seeing more and more aspects of reality.

In the master's secret mirror, even at the moment of highest renown and accomplishment, there is an image of the newest student in class, eager for knowledge, willing to play the fool. If we experience this time as something to get through on the way to real pleasure, then our hours at work represent a tragic waste of the short time we have to live. What I really liked about this book is that it can be first used as an introduction to the topic of mastery but then it serves as a step by step guide to making mastery a part of your life. Learning to embrace and anticipate the plateau in the journey, and feeling excited and looking at the plateau as a chance to learn while we wait for our next spurt of improvement, and waiting on the plateau again, and again. We imagine that creativity and brilliance just appear out of nowhere, the fruit of natural talent, or perhaps of a good mood, or an alignment of the stars.The quick-fix, fast-temporaryrelief, bottom-line mentality doesn't work in the long run, and is eventually destructive to the individual and the society. Whether you're seeking to improve your career or your intimate relationships, increase self-esteem or create harmony within yourself, this inspiring prescriptive guide will help you master anything you choose and achive success in all areas of your life. With this seminal text as a guide, readers will learn how to unlock the passion within and become masters. In this phase you dedicate 10000 hours of your time in learning your desired skill, need to put in your effort by overcoming obstacles and boredom.

Still, the book is targeted at those who can tolerate seeing life as a stage, and most people would prefer their own version of reality. This process of hardwiring cannot occur if you are constantly distracted, moving from one task to another. The instruction starts with the reasons why mastery is so rarely practiced these days and the various things people default to instead.Whatever your age, your upbringing, or your education, what you are made of is mostly unused potential. To avoid falling into a spineless fluffy practice, you need a clear vision of where you want to get to. But Zen teaches that any little thing can be something to master, and that mastery is a way of thought, attitude, and life. In a common theme that emerges over and over again in the books on mindset and mastery that I've read, Leonard mentions that the performer's mental game and visualization are of paramount importance.