Achieving Mastery and Mastering Yourself

What are your core competencies in your profession? Which skills and expertise do you take pride in?

Personal Mastery is one the five dimensions of the Learning Organisation (Peter Senge's The Fifth Discipline). It is the ability to attain excellence in a field that you excel in. What do you excel in? If you excel in sports, how do you attain a high standard of performance?

I share this observation when I teach juggling to my students. I tell them that my fastest student took 20 minutes to learn it. My slowest students took forever! Why? They simply gave up. They got frustrated and deferred their learning. Most were happy with two-ball juggling. Some attempted three balls, and succeeded; they continue to practise and improve their techniques. Some have begun challenging themselves to juggle with three different objects.

Personal mastery is about a commitment to one’s learning, and towards improving their skill. It is also about training yourself to perform at a higher state of confidence, competence and clarity.

When was the last time you developed mastery for a field?

[My reference source for a systemic facilitation for juggling is Michael Gelb’s Lessons from the Art of Juggling. My system for teaching juggling is my own discovery.]