Mastery#
Some comments on mastery.
What is Mastery? (\(\neq\) Best)#
What is mastery? Some people struggled with the definition, suggesting that to master something is to be among the very best in world (i.e. an elite basketball player). If this is the definition, then, by definition, very few of us can claim to be masters.
While it is probably true that “the best” have indeed mastered their activity, it need not be a competition. Instead, I suggest that mastery involves being very good at something, but without the need to be the best. Mastery is more about your internal state rather than how you compare with others.
It is also possible to master something small: mastery does not need to mean you have mastered all aspects of something. As a swimmer, you might have mastered the task of efficiently diving into the pool even though you have not mastered all aspects of breath control. Mastery also does not mean perfection – there is always room for improvement – but it does imply a certain level of comfort with the activity.
Some qualities associated with mastery:
Instinct: The ability to do without having to pause and think about what you are doing. Someone who has mastered the art of playing piano does not (typically) think about how their fingers are moving, but instead thinks about what they want the music to do. Significant amounts of practice (~10k hours) have established the neural pathways so that one does not need to think about the mechanics in general.
Improvisation/Play: If someone has mastered something, then they can improvise or play. Someone with mastery at making cinnamon rolls need not follow a recipe to the letter (though they can do so if they choose). Their instinct will allow them to riff, or make changes to achieve a desired outcome. Mastery implies the ability to guide or direct the outcome from a high level.
Some people pointed to Bloom’s Taxonomy as a way of defining mastery.
How to Achieve Mastery?#
I expect that everyone’s path is different, but as discussed in the Freakonomics podcast How to Become Great at Just About Anything , there are certain aspects that seem necessary:
Deliberate Practice: It is not enough just to do something lots of times, one must deliberately try to improve. This requires some struggle and discomfort, as well as feedback and coaching.
The need for feedback is important: there must be some way of “measuring” the outcome so that the practitioner can correct mistakes and improve. This need not be quantitative, but needs to be tangible and objective.
On Coaching
In my experience, coaching can take various forms. Having a mentor/instructor who has already mastered the task give you feedback is probably the most efficient approach, but you can realize similar goals more slowly by reading, or watching others. For example, when I first learned piano, I used György Sándor’s book On Piano Playing: Motion, Sound, and Expression to coach me on how to move my hands. Perhaps this helped me not develop bad habits, despite being originally self-taught.
Grit: Since deliberate practice is uncomfortable, one must have the ability to keep with it. This is referred to as grit and it is hard to imagine someone mastering an activity without it. The easiest way to do this is to find something you are passionate about – if you love the activity, then you are much more likely to be able to find the grit to succeed.