Creating Mastery

Creating Mastery

First, you need to define what it truly means to be a master.  The challenge is learning from near wins, figuring out how to overcome the challenges of coming so close to something but never quite grasping the brass ring.

Sarah Lewis, a featured TED Talks speaker, tells us that "Mastery is in the reaching, not the arriving.  It is in constantly wanting to close the gap between where you are and where you want to be."

When you learn how to cherish the journey, perhaps missing the mark, but always keeping your eye on your target, you are one step closer to mastery of your goal.  Think of it as a journey to the top of a mountain. You see the mountain, you can visualize it, even if you have never been there.  You have ideas of what it takes to reach the summit and start your preparations.  It is all up to you where this journey takes you.  To master the climb, to achieve your goal of reaching the summit, you have to take the necessary steps.

The longest journey begins with the first step.  This is true whether you are trying to climb that mountain or climb the corporate ladder.  If you do not start somewhere, you will never reach the next rung, much less the summit.

In order to correct past mistakes, it is necessary to begin again, to start all over or at least from where you perceive you made your mistake.  That is the goal of Second Chance Solutions, to teach you that you are not stuck with anything if you have the drive and tenacity to make the necessary changes, always striving for that which is just out of your grasp, or as Ms. Lewis says, "pursuing a kind of excellence in obscurity."

If you find success in hitting your target, is that the only time you can achieve that?  Mastery is being able to achieve it over and over, again and again.  Master your first impression by always striving to make it the best you can.  Never settle for second best.

by Karen L. Boggs