One Apple A Day #966 - mastery and presence
Mastery is the deepening of presence, not the perfection of skills.
Marcia Reynolds
Yesterday evening I was talking with a friend about what it takes to become really good at something.
Indeed, talent, knowledge and skills are essential factors. But what really makes the difference is your presence in what you do while you are doing it.
His ability to spot a minor error within a piece of software or to see connections between data on a database that others can't see, it's not due to his knowledge or skills. And he isn't smarter than the others. Over the years, however, he developed the ability to be fully present in what he does. That presence is like a superpower that increases his awareness and attention. As a result, he can see more.
It is not just "experience", then. I know people with plenty of experience who can execute a task flawlessly but haven't reached mastery. It is presence.
To me, the secret ingredient to deepen your presence and reach mastery is love.
We are present to the people and the thing we love.
When we love what we do, we bring our whole self into it. Then, the experience doesn't just improve our skills; it transforms us.
This is why I keep writing every morning and how I keep finding something to write every morning. I'm not saying I am a master, not yet, at least. But this relentless practice of something I love is teaching me how to see ideas worth writing in everything happening around me.
To learn more about presence and mastery, read this article from the master coach Marcia Reynolds herself.