8 Actionable Steps to Mastery

ACTIONABLE
8 STEPS
TO
LAUNCHYOURGENIUS.COM
MASTERY!THE PSYCHOLOGY OF EXCELLENCE!

“Mastery is not something
that strikes in an instant, like
a thunderbolt, but a
gathering power that moves
steadily through time, like
weather.”― John Gardner,
The Art of Fiction

!
“The heart of human excellence often
starts to beat when you discover a pursuit
that absorbs you, frees you, challenges
you, or gives you a sense of meaning, joy,
or passion.” – Terry Orlick
1. THE POWER OF
DECISIVENESS AND
KNOWING WHAT TO MASTER

WHAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO ACHIEVE
EXCELLENCEIN TODAY?

A FEW
QUESTIONS TO
ASK YOURSELF…

DOES THE PURSUIT
CHALLENGE YOU?

SPEAKSTOYOUR

STRENGTHS?
SKILLS?

HOW CAN IT BENEFIT OTHERS?
CREATE VALUE!

#CONTEXT
HOW AND WHERE CAN YOU SHARE THIS
SKILL OR PURPOSE WITH OTHERS?

“You must immerse yourself in your
work. You have to fall in love with
your work … You must dedicate your
life to mastering your skill. That’s
the secret of success.”― Chef Jiro of
Jiro Dreams of Sushi

!
“Modern theories about rational choice and information
processing don’t adequately explain weakness of the
will…. The image that I came up with for myself, as I
marveled at my weakness, was that I was a rider on the
back of an elephant. I’m holding the reins in my hands,
and by pulling one way or the other I can tell the elephant
to turn, to stop, or to go. I can direct things, but only
when the elephant doesn’t have desires of his own. When
the elephant really wants to do something, I’m no match
for him.” -Jonathan Haidt, The Happiness Hypothesis
2. GET EMOTIONALLY
INVESTED: GET THE ELEPHANT
AND THE RIDER ON BOARD

DO YOU RATIONALIZE AND
ENGAGE THE THINKING
MIND (HAIDT’S RIDER) AND
ATTEMPT MASTERY?
DO YOU RUN OUT OF
WILLPOWER BECAUSE THE
SUB-CONSCIOUS OR THE
FEELING BRAIN (HAIDT’S
ELEPHANT) IS NOT ON
BOARD

HAIDT QUOTES THE FAMOUS STANFORD
MARSHMALLOW EXPERIMENT BY WALTER
MISCHEL
CHILDREN GIVEN OPTION OF:

1 MARSHMALLOW NOW

OR

2 LATER (DELAYED GRATIFICATION)

DELAYED GRATIFICATION GROUP=

COULD REDIRECT FOCUS

=BETTER OUTCOMES IN LIFE LATER

IN EDUCATION

IN STRESS MANAGEMENT

WITH FRIENDSHIPS

=ENGAGE “STIMULUS CONTROL”

+

CONVINCETHEIR ELEPHANT INSTEAD

OF BATTLE OF WILLS

FEELVISCERALLY WHYYOU WANT TO ACHIEVE MASTERY= GET
EXCITED INYOUR PURSUIT

REDIRECT FOCUSINTO PLEASURABLE

EMOTIONALLY SATISFYING PURSUITS
#HOW TO MANAGE THE ELEPHANT MIND

MEDITATION = GREAT WAY
TO TRAIN ELEPHANT BRAIN

ASK THE “WHY” …
!
!
GET INTO THE REAL REASONS THAT ACTUALLY
EXCITEYOU.

WHYYOU ARE INTERESTED IN INVESTING A LOT OF
TIMEAND EFFORT?

!
“We grew up in a very creative
environment and were exposed to the
arts at a very young age, so it’s not a
surprise that all of us are in some form of
the arts.”- Spike Lee
3. ASSESS AND ADD WHAT YOU
NEED FOR MASTERY: TOOLS
AND ENVIRONMENT

WHAT ARE THE TOOLS THAT
YOU NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL
INYOUR WORK?

TALK TO PROFESSIONALS AND PEOPLE
WHO ARE ALREADY FOLLOWING THAT
PATH…

!
!
!
!
FIND MENTORS…

“The expectations of life
depend upon diligence;
the mechanic that would
perfect his work must
ﬁrst sharpen his tools.”–
Confucius

MODIFYYOUR
ENVIRONMENT

TO TRIGGER
MASTERY…

ASK: ISYOUR WORK ENVIRONMENT:

!
INSPIRING?
!
STIMULATING?
!
CURIOSITY PROVOKING?
!
CUSTOMIZED TO YOUR NEEDS?
!
!
THE PIXAR ATRIUM!

When I started writing I wanted the best
tools. I skipped right over chisels on
rocks, stylus on wet clay plates, quills
and fountain pens, even mechanical
pencils, and went straight to one of the
ﬁrst popular spin-offs of the aerospace
program: the ballpoint pen.- John
Varley

!
“One way to boost our will power and
focus is to manage our distractions
instead of letting them manage us.”
~Daniel Goleman
4. SUBTRACT THE
DISTRACTIONS AND BELIEFS
THAT DO NOT ASSIST YOU

THE CHOICE
DISTRACTION
OR
MASTERY

WHAT
ARE
YOUR
DEEPEST
BELIEFS
ABOUT
YOURSELF?

DO YOU BELIEVE YOU CAN
ACHIEVE MASTERY?

THE STRATEGY
REFOCUS
REBUILD/STRENGTHEN NEW
NEURAL NETWORKS
NEW FAVORABLE BELIEFS

!
If you do not pour water on your plant, what will
happen? It will slowly wither and die. Our habits
will also slowly wither and die away if we do not give
them an opportunity to manifest. You need not
ﬁght to stop a habit. Just don’t give it an
opportunity to repeat itself.- Swami Satchidananda,
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
5. MAKE IT HABITUAL,
IDENTIFY THE
KEYSTONE HABIT

SET UP
STRUCTURES AND
HABITS THAT
SUPPORTYOUR
PURPOSE

I WAS BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF
KEYSTONE HABITS FROM CHARLES
DUHIGG’S BOOK,THE POWER OF HABIT.
IDENTIFYYOUR “KEYSTONE HABIT” OR THE
“ONE HABIT THAT OTHER HABITS REVOLVE
AROUND.”

DUHIGG GIVES THE EXAMPLE OF A WOMAN WHO
RECOGNIZED THAT HER KEYSTONE HABIT WAS SMOKING
AND AT A PARTICULARLY LOW STAGE OF HER LIFE
DECIDED TO KICK IT OFF AND TO RUN A MARATHON.

IF A HABIT TAKES UP ALL
YOUR TIME,YOU MAY HAVE
TO MAKE MODIFICATIONS
TO IT TO ALLOW OTHER
HABITS TO TAKE ROOT.

ACCORDING TO BJ FOGG OF THE PURSUASIVE TECHNOLOGY
LAB AT STANFORD, BEHAVIOR CAN BE CHANGED BY WHAT HE
CALLS THE “FOGG METHOD.”

!
!
!
!
!
THE FOGG METHOD INVOLVES IDENTIFYING THE SPECIFIC
BEHAVIOR THATYOU WANT TO CHANGE, MAKING IT EASY TO
CHANGE AND TRIGGER THE BEHAVIOR EITHER NATURALLY OR
BY DESIGN.

!
!
!
FOGG IS ALSO A BIG BELIEVER OF
CHANGING THE ENVIRONMENT
AND TAKINGVERY SMALL STEPS
TO CHANGEVERY SMALL HABITS.

RESEARCH IN MIT FROM NEUROSCIENTIST ANN M. GRAYBIEL’S
LABORATORY POPULARIZED IN DUHIGG’S BOOK, THE POWER
OF HABIT HAS SHOWN THAT HABITS CAN BE COMPARED TO A
LOOP.

TRIGGER
OR CUE
REWARD ACTION
HABITOR
BEHAVIOR
THE LOOP CONSISTS OF A TRIGGER OR A CUE THAT SETS THE
BEHAVIOR OR HABIT OFF,AN AUTOMATIC ACTION OR A SEQUENCE
OF EVENTS THAT FOLLOW AND A REWARD THAT FOLLOWS THAT.

TRIGGER
OR CUE
REWARD ACTION
HABITOR
BEHAVIOR
HOW TO CHANGE A HABIT?Strengthen favorable cue-action-reward cycles favoring the new habit/s that support MASTERY
ALTER THE
ACTION
OR THE
ACTIONS…
AWARENESS OF
TRIGGERS
SET UP NEW
REWARDS,
EXTRINSIC AND
INTRINSIC
MOTIVATORS
AWARE OF THE
REWARD: FEELING
OF RELIEF OR THE
SENSE OF
ACCOMPLISHMENT
THAT YOU GET
SET UP NEW
FAVORABLE
HABITS

BRING IN INTRINSIC
MOTIVATORS SUCH AS
FEELINGS, EMOTIONS AND
EXTERNAL MOTIVATORS
SUCH AS A PICTURE, MUSIC
OR AN AFFIRMATION ON
BOARD TO ASSISTYOU WITH
THE FORMATION OF NEW
HABITS AND BEHAVIORS.

“Habits are formed by the repetition of
particular acts. They are strengthened
by an increase in the number of
repeated acts. Habits are also weakened
or broken, and contrary habits are
formed by the repetition of contrary
acts.”― Mortimer J. Adler

!
“IF, like those with the growth mindset, you believe you can
develop yourself, then you’re open to accurate information
about your current abilities, even it it’s unﬂattering. What’s
more, if you’re oriented toward learning, as they are, you need
accurate information about your current abilities in order to
learn effectively” ― Carol S. Dweck, Mindset: The New
Psychology of Success
6. DITCH THE FIXED
MINDSET: IDENTIFY YOUR
MODES OF LEARNING AND
LEARN EXPONENTIALLY

THE GROWTH MINDSET
REQUIRES CONTINUAL
LEARNING AND EFFORT

THE FIXED MINDSET
ASSUMES THATYOU
KNOW EVERYTHING
AND MAKESYOU
BELIEVE THATYOU
WILL NOT IMPROVE

“How do you act when you feel depressed? Do
you work harder at things in your life or do you
let them go? Next time you feel low, put
yourself in a growth mindset—think about
learning, challenge, confronting obstacles.
Think about effort as a positive, constructive
force, not as a big drag. Try it out.” -Carol
Dweck, Mindset: The New Psychology of
Success

IN THE BOOK, MINDSET, PROFESSOR CAROL DWECK EXPLAINS
STUDIES BY JOSEPH MARTOCCHIO WHERE EMPLOYEES WERE
TRAINING IN A COMPUTER COURSE.
HALF OF THE EMPLOYEES WERE PLACED IN A FIXED MINDSET
WHILE THE OTHER HALF WAS ALLOWED TO ENGAGE THE
GROWTH MINDSET.
THE FIXED MINDSET GROUP WAS INSTRUCTED THAT ONLY THEIR
ABILITIES MATTERED BUT THE GROWTH GROUP WAS INSTRUCTED
THAT THEIR SKILLS WERE SUBJECT TO LEARNING AND COULD BE
INCREASED THROUGH REPEATED PRACTICE.

INTERESTINGLY EVEN THOUGH BOTH GROUPS STARTED WITH THE
SAME LEVELS OF CONFIDENCE, IT WAS THE GROWTH MINDSET
GROUP THAT GAINED SIGNIFICANT ADDITIONAL CONFIDENCE
DESPITE THE INEVITABLE MISTAKES THEY MADE.
HOWEVER, THE SAME MISTAKES CAUSED THE FIXED MINDSET
GROUP TO LOSE CONFIDENCE IN THEIR SKILLS. DWECK SAYS THAT
THE SAME PATTERN REPEATS ITSELF WHEN STUDIES WERE DONE
WITH COLLEGE STUDENTS.

7. FLOW AND DEEP
PRACTICE: INCREASE THE
SKILL LEVEL AND THE
DIFFICULTY LEVEL TO
ACCOMPLISH FLOW

“Contrary to what we usually believe, moments like these, the
best moments in our lives, are not the passive, receptive,
relaxing times—although such experiences can also be
enjoyable, if we have worked hard to attain them. The best
moments usually occur when a person’s body or mind is
stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish
something difﬁcult and worthwhile. Optimal experience is
thus something that we make happen. For a child, it could be
placing with trembling ﬁngers the last block on a tower she
has built, higher than any she has built so far; for a swimmer,
it could be trying to beat his own record; for a violinist,
mastering an intricate musical passage. For each person there
are thousands of opportunities, challenges to expand
ourselves.” ― Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow: The Psychology
of Optimal Experience

I BELIEVE THE KEY TO SUSTAINED MASTERY LIES IN
“FLOW” RESEARCH BY THE EMINENT PSYCHOLOGIST
MIHALY CSIKSZENTMIHALYI
WHEN WE ARE ENGAGING OUR UNDIVIDED ATTENTION
IN AN ENDEAVOR THAT TESTS THE LIMITS OF SKILL AND
STILL POSES A CHALLENGE, WE EXPERIENCE INTRINSIC
MOTIVATION

THIS EXPERIENCE OF SATISFACTION BECOMES A
SELF-FULFILLING EXERCISE BECAUSE THE STATE
OF FLOW IS ITSELF REWARDING AND HIGHLY
PLEASURABLE

According to Csikszentmihalyi in his TED
talk:
“There’s this focus that, once it becomes
intense, leads to a sense of ecstasy, a sense of
clarity: you know exactly what you want to do
from one moment to the other; you get
immediate feedback. You know that what you
need to do is possible to do, even though
difﬁcult, and sense of time disappears, you
forget yourself, you feel part of something
larger. And once the conditions are present,
what you are doing becomes worth doing for its
own sake.”

FLOW=
A STATE OF ENGAGEMENT OR FOCUS OF
ATTENTION ON A WELL DEFINED PROBLEM
+
INCREMENTALLY INCREASING THE SKILL
LEVEL SO THAT PRACTICE IS NOT
FRUSTRATING BUT ENJOYABLE
+
INCREASING THE CHALLENGE LEVEL OR
ATTEMPTING BIGGER CHALLENGES AS YOU
DEVELOP YOUR SKILLS
+
GETTING REAL-TIME FEEDBACK THAT KEEPS
YOU ENGAGED AND INSPIRED.

“Enjoyment appears at the
boundary between boredom
and anxiety, when the
challenges are just balanced
with the person’s capacity to
act.”― Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

8. PUTTING IT ALL
TOGETHER: THE EXTRA
INGREDIENTS FOR
MASTERY
“If people knew how hard I worked to
get my mastery, it wouldn’t seem so
wonderful at all.” ― Michelangelo

ERIC RIES OF THE LEAN STARTUP MENTIONS THE IMPORTANCE OF
A QUICK LAUNCH OR BUILDING A QUICK PROTOTYPE, MEASURING
THE EFFICACY OF THE PRODUCT THROUGH METRICS AND
FEEDBACK AND LEARNING FROM THE PROCESS.
!
!
!
THIS SHOULD GIVE YOU ENOUGH DATA TO
PERSEVERE OR PIVOT TO DO SOMETHING
ELSE.
!
!
!
!
BUILD-MEASURE-LEARN

DEEP PRACTICE + REPEATED ATTEMPTS AND EFFORT:
THE MORE YOU PUT IN THE MORE YOU GET BACK.
IF YOU ARE NOT MOVING AHEAD FAST ENOUGH, YOU ARE
PROBABLY NOT PRACTICING ENOUGH. AND PERHAPS YOU ARE
NOT PRACTICING AT THE EDGE OF YOUR ABILITIES AND SKILLS.

CONNECTING AND RESULTS:

!
AREYOU ABLE TO RECEIVE HONEST FEEDBACK ON
YOUR RESULTS?

!
THEN DOYOU DO SOMETHING WITH THAT
AWARENESS?
!
!
MANY PEOPLE SHUT DOWN AT THIS STAGE BECAUSE
THEY DO NOT DEAL WELL WITH NEGATIVE
FEEDBACK.

FAILURE OR SUCCESS: THESE ARE JUST GUIDE POINTS AND
POSTS ALONG THE WAY. IF YOU GET TOO CAUGHT UP IN EITHER
OF THEM, THEY WILL KEEP YOU ENSCONCED IN THEIR STORIES
AND YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PURSUE TRUE MASTERY.

IMPROVISE: YOU NEED TO BE LIKE A JAZZ MUSICIAN
AND IMPROVISE. CREATIVE IMPROVISATION IS ONE OF
THE QUICKEST WAYS INTO THE UNKNOWN FIELD THAT
CREATES MASTERY.

SUSTAINED ENTHUSIASM: AND LAST BUT NOT THE LEAST,
WHEN YOU FEEL AND ARE AT THE SEEMINGLY LOWEST PLACE, YOU
NEED TO GET UP AND RECONNECT WHY YOU ARE DOING THIS IN
THE FIRST PLACE.

SUMMARY
1. THE POWER OF DECISIVENESS AND KNOWING WHAT TO
MASTER
2. GET EMOTIONALLY INVESTED: GET THE ELEPHANT AND
THE RIDER ON BOARD
3. ASSESS AND ADD WHAT YOU NEED FOR MASTERY: TOOLS
AND ENVIRONMENT
4. SUBTRACT THE DISTRACTIONS AND BELIEFS THAT DO NOT
ASSIST YOU
5. MAKE IT HABITUAL, IDENTIFY THE KEYSTONE HABIT
6. DITCH THE FIXED MINDSET: IDENTIFY YOUR MODES OF
LEARNING AND LEARN EXPONENTIALLY
7. FLOW AND DEEP PRACTICE: INCREASE THE SKILL LEVEL
AND THE DIFFICULTY LEVEL TO ACCOMPLISH FLOW
8. PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER: THE EXTRA INGREDIENTS FOR
MASTERY: DEEP PRACTICE, FAILURE, ENTHUSIASM AND
FEEDBACK
!
!
!
!

Adapted Image Credit: Sitting on the beach by Ryan J. Quick
at http://www.flickr.com/photos/order_in_chaos/6023963298/
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/
Adapted Image Credit: Surf Kayaker at Morro Rock by Mike Baird
at http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikebaird/1849445135/
Adapted Image Credit: Heart shaped box by sunshinecity
at http://www.flickr.com/photos/sunshinecity/2232866001/
Adapted Image Credit: Artist Woman Singing Concert in Jazz Club by epSos.de
at http://www.flickr.com/photos/epsos/4169834065/
Adapted Image Credit: Vienna Service Design Jam 2012 by _dChris
at http://www.flickr.com/photos/_dchris/6928691019/
Adapted Image Credit: Vienna Service Design Jam 2012 by _dChris
at http://www.flickr.com/photos/_dchris/6780667424/
Adapted Image Credit: McGonigel's Mucky Duck, HSPVA Jazz Students by Patrick Feller
at http://www.flickr.com/photos/nakrnsm/5155539047/

Adapted Image Credit: Marshmallows by John-Morgan
at http://www.flickr.com/photos/aidanmorgan/2256639109/
Adapted Image Credit: Dance by eschipul
at http://www.flickr.com/photos/eschipul/6953495894/
Adapted Image Credit: Dance Festival by Saad Faruque
at http://www.flickr.com/photos/cblue98/6908299417/
Adapted Image Credit: Meditation by HaPe_Gera
at http://www.flickr.com/photos/hape_gera/2123257808/
Adapted Image Credit: Clouds by Elessar
at http://www.flickr.com/photos/maddog78/2212457767/
Adapted Image Credit: PIXAR Atrium by Ed Bierman
at http://www.flickr.com/photos/edbierman/4990128932/
Adapted Image Credit: Elephant Rider by still.epsilon
at http://www.flickr.com/photos/stil_epsilon/6694198687/

Adapted Image Credit: More tool borrowing... by DaMongMan
at http://www.flickr.com/photos/damongman/4979871047/
Adapted Image Credit: Teacher Leader Conference 2 August 2012
by US Department of Education
at http://www.flickr.com/photos/departmentofed/7733000882/
Adapted Image Credit: Meditate by crdotx
at http://www.flickr.com/photos/crdot/6903711925/
Adapted Image Credit: Delafé y las flores azules by rubenvike
at http://www.flickr.com/photos/vike/7000136043/
Adapted Image Credit: Delafé y las flores azules by rubenvike
at http://www.flickr.com/photos/vike/7000135417/
Adapted Image Credit: Sunset over Keystone by diongillard
at http://www.flickr.com/photos/diongillard/2059854621/
Adapted Image Credit: Runner by Alexandra E Rust
at http://www.flickr.com/photos/aerust/10999159244/

Adapted Image Credit: Steps by clbean
at http://www.flickr.com/photos/clbean/74629237/
Adapted Image Credit: Books by somegeekintn
at http://www.flickr.com/photos/somegeekintn/3484353131/
Adapted Image Credit: Stream by Moyan_Brenn
at http://www.flickr.com/photos/aigle_dore/7171667985/
Adapted Image Credit: Pottery by Lennart Tange
at http://www.flickr.com/photos/lennartt/7767323642/
Adapted Image Credit: Pottery Class by Tobyotter
at http://www.flickr.com/photos/78428166@N00/6077899721/

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