Have we lost interest in the Art of Mastery? It seems a rather outmoded concept these days. Everything is designed to happen on fast-forward. So you can complete your course of study, in just about anything you like, through an intensive online course. Your certificate will be in the post at the end of the month. But does that mean you’re any good?
Mastery takes time. Researchers have settled on a magic number for true expertise to be reached: ten thousand hours. And studies of the most successful athletes and musicians support the finding that it is time put into practice more than natural talent that leads to being the most outstanding in your field.
10,000 hours is a lot of time.
If you spend 20 hours a week playing the guitar, that will amount to about 1,000 hours in a year. At that rate, it’s going to take you ten years to become a Master in your Art. Come on, twenty hours a week is not so bad. But it’s going to take some dedication. Have you got the will to stick at it for that long?
The Tiger Woods Approach
It’s not what you think. I’m not interested in who the guy has or hasn’t had sex with. But I did hear something really interesting this week about Tiger’s approach to his technique (I think it’s what golfers call their ‘swing’).
In 2000, Tiger Woods’ swing was considered close to perfection.
It brought him a haul of seven major titles out of 11 in a golden period from 1999-2002.
And yet by the end of 2002, Woods had decided to change his swing, a decision that left him without a major win in two years.
(from BBC Sport, Tuesday, 19 July 2005)
Why, at the height of his success, and fame-and-fortune-making, did Woods decide to take two years out to deconstruct his swing? His answer to that is simple: 18. That’s a perfect score in golf. He made a choice between winning in the here and now, and the long-term pursuit of perfectionism. Inspiring, isn’t it?
When Good Enough Just Isn’t
In life, in art, in business, we can get sidetracked by the small successes and minor victories, and think that’s ‘good enough’. And there’s nothing wrong with being small and being happy with that. But it’s not the feedback of fame and wealth I really want most of all, it’s the satisfaction and fulfilment of knowing that I’ve achieved the very best I can in my chosen field. I have this one long life to live, so why not put the hours in to mastering something that I love to do?
I have the feeling there are not enough Masters in this world, and plenty of opportunities for becoming one.
We run away from it though, because it is easier to give up than face our fears. And I have a hunch that the biggest fear is not fear of hard work or struggle, but fear of failure.
Failure As Feedback
Fear of failure was probably at the root of my unmade decision to give up my goal of becoming a professional flautist at 19. In my ten year career as a young music student, I must have put in a few thousand hours of practice. I played in orchestras, sang in choirs and groups, and did solo recitals. Even got myself on a couple of recordings, which have long since disappeared down the plughole of obscurity. But the experience of it all was immensely enjoyable. And then I just stopped. Turned about face, and practically wiped the memories from my life.
No-one knows whether I could have become a Master Flautist, if I’d stuck at it and put in the time. But what I needed to do most of all was just that – to stick at it. Maybe it’s too late for my music career now, but I’m not going to make the same mistakes with my business or my other creative dreams. As they say in NLP, “There’s no failure, only feedback.”
I’ve been a fledgling entrepreneur for a couple of years now, and along the way I’ve experienced plenty of failure. I’m not daunted by that though. This is grad school for people like me. We didn’t have classes on this stuff in school or college, and nothing prepares you better than learning from your own ridiculous, glorious and aborted experiences.
Right now, I’m keeping the Tiger Woods Approach firmly at the front of my mind. The single-minded pursuit of perfection, above the small gains and minor successes. I’m not doing nothing, I’m just honing my swing.
“Men succeed when they realize that their failures are the preparation for their victories.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Oh yeah, I pinched this quote from Jason Markow, of The (think) here blog, who I’ll be joining for #FAILweek in February, soon.
