Week 5: A Heroes Journey

Mastery is a concept and principle I have been chasing for my whole life. I think I have had some progress over the years in some areas, but still working on it in many other areas. I am enjoying reading this book, Mastery by George Leonard. It has helped to give me a fresh perspective on what I can do to progress in mastering my weaknesses. I especially loved the introduction. It was a bit of a paradigm shift for me. To think that we have mastered so much already in our lives. Going from being a completely helpless infant to a fully physically functioning and thinking adult. God designed us this way. He made us to be able to master many skills - some without even consciously realizing it. That is amazing.

"Start with something simple. Try touching your forehead with your hand. 

An, that's easy, automatic. Nothing to it. But there was a time when you were as far removed from the mastery of that simple skill as a non pianist is from playing a Beethoven sonata.

First, you had to learn to control the movements of your hands. (you were just a baby then) and somehow get them to move where you wanted them to. You had to develop some sort of kinesthetic "image" of your body so that you could know the relationship between your forehead and other parts of your body. You had to learn to match this image with the visual image of an adult's body. You had to learn how to mimc your mother's actions. Momentous stuff, make no mistake about it. And we haven't yet considered the matter of language--learning to decode sounds shaped as words and to match them to our own actions.

Only after all this could you play the learning game that parents everywhere play with their children; "Where is your nose? Where are your ears? Where's your forehead?" As with all significant learning, this learning was measured not in a straight line but in stages: brief spurts of progress separated by periods during which you seemed to be getting nowhere.

Still, you learned an essential skill. What's more important, you learned about learning. You started with something difficult and made it easy and pleasurable through instruction and practice. You took a master's journey. And if you could learn to touch your forehead, you can learn to play a Beethoven sonata of rly a jet plane, to be a better manager or improve your relationships. Our current society works in many ways to lead us astray, but the path of mastery is always there, waiting for us."

I loved all of the readings and videos. And the "Heroes Journey" was no exception. I really love the "homework" that he gave me. There were several things that stuck out to me:

• Never give up the search for your calling - find what your God given gifts you have
• Don't try to be the smartest person in the room
• HW: Ask five people that you know well and trust and ask them what I do better than anyone else in the room (It may be surprising) (Scott R, Tara C, Trisha K, Lisa W, Heather B)
• A calling MUST serve others - what need is there today that calls out to me?
• HW: Write a list of "I will not cross this line" and then write letters to counter those temptations. Take out the envelopes and read the counter message. Something like, "Melissa, If you are reading this, you must be tempted to cross a line..."

*His envelope/joke from father-in-law -- 

Do you know what the greatest difference between you and God? 

Answer: God never believes He is you

Love this joke. Great reminder that I DO NOT know better than God. Why do I try sometimes to justify my poor actions as if I do?

• Being rich is about spending less than you make
• Greatest fear = waking up one day to realize you wasted your life
• Did I contribute something meaningful? Was I a good person?
• HW: Think of someone I am truly thankful to and write a one page thank you letter to them -- find them and read it aloud. It will bring joy and peace. (my parents)

These are all things that have given me something to work towards and to help with master my weaknesses and all sorts of things I have been working on. I am especially excited to do this homework.