Mastery

The way of the master is to understand the greatest opportunity in every moment. It is not necessarily about being skilled or unskilled, educated or uneducated, it is more about potential. Mastery is about reaching for potential even when the skill is small, it is about stretching the mind even when education is little. The mindset of mastery sets our consciousness for realizing the fullest potential possible at any given moment.

There is no one “trick,” technique or “secret” to realizing empowerment, just as there is no one way to enlightenment. Eventually the work needs to be done, the aspects of darkness need to be enlightened, the weak needs to be strengthened and the illusions transcended. All paths have the potential to reveal to us the principles behind how our minds work, and at any stage along the way we will have the opportunity to see that many, many paths can lead to self-mastery and empowerment. The difference will always be whether our path takes the direct road or the indirect road. Continuously choosing ignorance will eventually provide opportunities for truth simply because the glaringly, obvious reality that we are not happy or empowered will one day be too massive to ignore anymore. When the pain is too great then we will look for answers. Continuously choosing truth will mean that in each given moment we are taking the opportunity to reveal empowerment and enlightenment, no moment is too special or too mundane. In truth like a special mentor Dan Millman said “there are no ordinary moments.”

Variety is the spice of life in that it provides a kick in our perception that pushes us to experience differently than what we are used to. We are forced to adapt and feel in other ways. Perhaps we will feel clumsy, stupid or inept and these moments also offer the opportunity to bring and realize empowerment and enlightenment. It is after all one thing to feel empowered doing the same things that we always excel in, feeling in control and perhaps better than most. It is quite another thing to find empowerment when we are for the 100th time singing out of key at karaoke, showing our two left feet at Irish dancing or wearing our mother’s favorite purple polka dot sweater. The thing is that without these situations that bring out the aspects of ourselves that we have not had a chance to develop, we quite simply would not develop them.

It is only when we do things differently that we see more of ourselves. It is truly a gift that for those of us that are interested in personal development that it is so readily available for us to experience and reveal our inner selves. “Different” doesn’t need to be as dramatic as nude modeling or stand-up comedy. It could be as simple as listening to some different music in the privacy of your own home. It could be dancing to this different music. It could be taking a bath or reading a book. It could be doing some gardening or talking to a neighbor. It could be not talking to anyone for a while. The opportunity of any of these experiences is not in what it is but in what it bring out of us. The more aspects of our selves that we bring empowerment to the more we realize mastery. As this development progresses it becomes obvious that mastery has little to do with our skill or education level, but with our willingness to strive always towards our potential. This is perhaps the greatest skill of all and the beauty of it is that all those other skills and knowledge seem to come far easier when in this mind state.

Look at a dog running to catch a ball. It is not discouraged that it might not catch the ball, it is not losing sleep over the fact that it missed the ball 5 times yesterday and it is certainly not going to let any of those past experiences stop it from going for it this time. The development of ball catching is pushed to it’s potential because a dog allows itself to go for it. The same thing can be observed in babies and children. Before they develop the “maturity” to consider how they might fail and what that means they just go for it and so they learn at a phenomenal rate. Adults on the other hand have a reputation in general for being slow learners if they even take that road at all! More than the flexibility needed to do swing dancing, more than the rapport needed to do stand up comedy and more than the physical action required to even wear something different – more than all these things, the greatest obstacle is the mind that feels like it has something to lose. As long as we allow the mind to prevent us from experiencing then we have already lost. We have lost the opportunity to experience, and look at what we have decided to keep. We have chosen to keep our fears intact and who we believe ourselves to be untarnished. Instead of realizing empowerment through changing our perception of ourselves we are striving to keep our self-perception unchanging. The irony is that if we are really so content to not move an inch then why are we on the path of self-development at all?

Mastery is a mind state. This state makes the difficult easy because it is a mind state that is not adverse to failure. It creates no more fear than is already present, and with the fear that is already present it chooses to move forward with courage anyway. This is a mind coordinated for success. Every step is simply a step closer. Doubts will be doubts but are not hindrances unless we do not continue to move forward, and so the power of doubt is made impotent. As for mistakes, these are results and offer the opportunity to develop sensitivity and focus. They are a refinement in progress.

Masters assume that continuing steadfastly on their path will bring them the knowledge and experience, and therefore the ability to achieve their goals. Knowing this allows them to put everything else in their favor. Their mind state is optimized for success and so their bodies are optimized for success. Everything is geared to take advantage of any opportunities that should arise – and because they are ready for opportunities – they see opportunity everywhere.

One of the reasons that the master’s mind state works so well is the unshakable confidence that they have. It doesn’t matter if others are doubtful, it doesn’t matter if we ourselves have doubts. Let the doubters and doubtful thoughts do their thing, and we will continue to do ours. This type of sustaining, all-weather confidence lends energy and clarity to the mind. Knowing that we can achieve success allows us to be calm and centered. This allows the body and mind to optimize oxygen and energy co-ordination more effectively which again increases clarity and energy. Each attribute helps the other. This is the meaning of a coordinated approach. This is the meaning of mind and body being as one. It is a unity, the same unity that we see in a dog leaping for a ball, or a baby learning to walk.

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