Do you want to become a master at your craft? 

 

Mastery is something I value. 

 

I want to master my craft. 

 

I want to become the best at what I do.

 

I want to master health. I want to master money. I want to master speaking. I want to master coaching. I want to master writing. I want to master sales. I want to master being a Dad. I want to master being a husband. I want to master being a human being. 

 

I’ve been reading a book called ‘Mastery’ by Robert Green. This is a fantastic resource if you want to learn how to discover your life’s work and become a master at it. 

 

Have you discovered your life’s work yet? 

 

To become a master at your craft it takes TIME and a lot of practice. 

 

Back in the Middle Ages, the masters of their craft such as Black Smith’s, Butchers and Builders were limited to how much work they could do themselves because they were only one person.

 

This meant they had to develop other people and teach them their unique skill set to help them complete bigger projects.

 

This is when the ‘apprenticeship’ teaching system was first introduced.

 

Young people were brought in from an early age and signed a seven year contract to commit to their craft. After the seven years they would have to pass a ‘master test’ before they would be signed off as ‘journeymen’ and be free to practise their craft on their own. 

 

During these times workbooks for each craft did not exist. The young apprentices would closely observe their masters and then practise what they saw. 

 

Over the seven year apprenticeship the young person would put in endless hours or repetition to master the essential skills for their chosen craft. 

 

 

The best way to learn is to perform the action or skill itself. Reading a book will never improve your skillet alone.

 

And having a master, mentor or guide who can give you immediate feedback once the action is performed will help you learn much faster. And this is how the apprenticeships worked.  

 

Robert Greene says that once you’ve been practising the skill long enough you enter into a phase called the “cycle of accelerated returns”. 

 

This is when you’ve moved past the point of boredom where most people quit. 

 

You start to enjoy applying the skill. You are able to focus and work on the skill for longer periods of time. And this accelerates your learning and your ability even more.  

 

He says this ‘cycle of accelerated returns’ is the goal you must set for yourself if you want to master your craft.  

 

Keep this in mind when you’re developing a new skill or on a new journey in life. 

 

 

I will use myself as an example.

 

When I started my coaching journey there were two fundamental skills I had to learn to have an effective coaching session with a client. 

 

1) Actively listening

2) The art of asking questions 

 

These are arguably the most important skills you need to become a masterful coach. 

 

When I started practising my coaching sessions I felt terrified. I would get anxious. I dreaded each session. 

 

I didn’t know what to listen for. I didn’t know what questions to ask. I couldn’t read body language or tonality. 

 

It was challenging. 

 

I kept a coaching log from my very first session to track my hours and progress. And I’m so glad I did. I suggest you keep some form of logbook yourself when developing your craft. 

 

It took me well over 100 hours of practice before I started to feel comfortable coaching. 

 

I am now at a stage where I’ve completed over 500 hours of coaching. I have moved into ‘the cycle of accelerated returns’ phase where I enjoy coaching, I can coach for longer periods and I have more fun and try new things with my coaching!

 

I am still well off the 10,000 hour mark.

 

But I will get there in time.  

 

 

After being in the coaching, network marketing and online entrepreneur space for almost four years now, what I’ve found is the majority of people don’t commit to mastery.

 

They give up at the first hurdle or challenge.

 

Or they get bored having to repeat the same skills again and again and again. 

 

They want to become MASTERS and earn the big money WITHOUT putting in the seven to ten year apprenticeship. 

 

This is a recipe for failure.

 

If you treat your craft, your pursuit or your new online business with this mindset then you will FAIL.

 

But if you commit to serving your seven to ten year apprenticeship of your chosen craft or skill set then you will SUCCEED. 

 

You must understand that MONEY always follows SKILLS and PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT. 

 

So what should you do?

 

 

Forget about the money.

 

Focus on mastering the skills of your craft. 

 

The money will come later.

 

I hope this lesson serves you today.

 

 

Big Love,