How to find mastery and achievement in your field

Let's start by outlining the path to avoid if one wants to move one step closer to finding mastery in any endeavor, field or occupation. There are emotional states which hinder the process and I list and discuss them below.

Uncertainty and Skepticism

If a person is consumed by thoughts and expectations of the future without focusing on the process, on the here and now, they will continually miss their goal and miss the moment. Coming back to our example of an aspiring guitarist, they may make a mistake while playing their favorite solo and be disappointed. Only when we are fully present, aware and focused do we have a chance to reach our goals.

Skepticism can be healthy if it leads to deliberate action such as deciding on the next book to read. However, if a long loop of skepticism and doubt ensue, the individual grinds to a halt, unable to make decisions and move forward.

Sensory desire

If one does an activity with the expectation of obtaining huge and unrealistic rewards, they may be discouraged early on. It is vital to keep realistic expectations. This can be done by confronting yourself with other people attempting to reach the same goal, sharing inspiring stories, confiding in an understanding friend, journaling, watching and reading about previous experiences of people who have undertaken a similar path, and, in any way possible, to try to connect with environment and people involved. Addictions and distractions can also lead us astray from our original goal. Other sensory distractions include lust (sexual attraction), food, possessions and experiences. All too often we see ourselves or others spending prolonged periods of time in this unhelpful state.

Ill Will

Self defeating commentary is common and can be a disturbing part of our psyche. As humans, we are conscious and our consciousness can access and judge what is happening around us. Society teaches us this unhelpful way of thinking early on in life. In order to succeed, one needs to unlearn this habit. This involves catching ourselves when we are critical and trying to change the tone to more understanding and motivation one, thinking if there is another way to look at the situation, not just the critical commentary. Psychologists can help teach these skills with fantastic success rates, especially psychologists trained in applying the modern Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques. In the West, people typically refer to these emotional states as hate and vengeance. These are powerful emotional states and people can linger in them for long periods of their lives.

Sloth, Torpor and Drowsiness

Inactivity, idleness, laziness are common terms for this state of mind and body. When we experience this state, it is common to want to do nothing or, even worse, engage in destructive, low energy behavior. This may be prolonged periods of physical inertness, intellectual laziness, dozing off into the distance without focus, absent mindedness and so forth. These are low energy states which all human beings get into from time to time. Recognizing them and finding ways of getting out of them, such as going out for a walk, which oxygenizes the brain and energizes the body, can greatly reduce the time spent in these states, which tend to lead to little virtue or reward. Scheduling stimulating activities ahead of time will help us to find a more task-based approach to life and leave fewer moments to idleness.

Sometimes, we feel like our energy is drawn away from us, leaving us depleted. This is a sign that we are entering a state of Sloth, Torpor and Drowsiness.

Restlessness and impatience

Just as underactivity is detrimental, overactivity or restlessness is problematic for human beings. This is a higher energy state than inactivity yet it presents itself with a wide range of unique problems. When the mind is restless, it is functioning in a suboptimal state. A restless mind looses concentration easily, cannot find deep focus and frequently comes up with unpleasant feelings and thoughts. This is clearly not a path of virtue. A restless state also prevents us from making good decisions, as it usually comes with a sense of urgency, asking of us to make a quick, poorly deliberated decision. This tunnel vision effect limits our senses, our cognitive abilities and our capabilities in the moment. If this state arises, we need to learn how to calm down and refocus. Many strategies exist, such as focusing on the sensations of the body, altering our breath by breathing out for longer than we breathe in (see box breathing) and attempting to calm and reorganize the thoughts in our mind.

Now that we are aware of the pitfalls, we can map the road ahead with this information in mind.

Here are some principles I find to be useful when navigating life.

Focus of the process rather than outcome

The first step to addressing a transformative challenge, be it at work or in a personal sphere of life, is to step back from our emotions, observe them and notice what they tell us. There is a lot of information coming from our emotional responses. It typically encodes previous experiences relating to a situation and our current mind state. If there is a strong emotional response in a given situation, we should pay attention to how that response developed, rather than ignoring it. The fact that this response bubbles to the surface is a great opportunity for introspection and personal growth.

Once we have understood exactly what we are feeling we have become at least partly self aware. This process is the beginning of moving towards enhanced emotional understanding and more desirable emotional states, such as gratitude and motivation. The next step is to define what we would like to happen, what are our goals, aspirations and values regarding a particular situation. For example, this may be getting a good grade at school, being a loving and appreciated partner or being awarded a large commercial contract. Whatever our measures of success look like, we have to define them clearly and quantifiably. This is called the outcome we are seeking.

Next we need to seek the steps to get there. Plan the actions that depend on us, the duration of the commitment, the intensity, the risks involved and so on. This is knows as the process involved in getting to the outcome we desire.

Once we have found a workable, realistic process we have to commit to it. We do this by having a conversation with ourselves and imagine the situation we are seeking and why we want to achieve a particular outcome. Why is the outcome meaningful to us? It seems plausible that every individual has wishes to improve certain areas of life, learn new skills or develop in a way. Life is an opportunity to do just so.

Moving towards virtue

How do we find virtue? It is not possible to stumble onto virtue, find it down the street, hidden in nature or in a random geographic location. Virtue is a conscious choice, backed up by perseverance and conviction. Human beings like to be in virtuous situations, it boosts their self esteem, makes them feel good, creates positive experiences and emotional states. These states of virtue are typically accompanied by complete and unwavering concentration, a sense of fulfilment, peace and belonging, a feeling that we are in the right place, at the right time. Hence, a place of virtue is a place one wants to come closer to and spend as long as possible exploring and experiencing.

The road to virtue

It will not happen overnight. In fact, it will not happen over a fortnight or a month. Yet, as a process, it will come and go. We will find it briefly, only to loose it a moment later. Yet, over time and with the correct tools, we will find virtue more often and for longer periods of time. This can serve as encouragement to continue developing in this direction. Like any road, you can expect highs and lows, climbs and plateaus. This is why being convinced of the direction is vital.

A case study

The first few paragraphs were theoretical so let's give an example. A person wants to learn to play the guitar and they first start by expressing their desire to do so. They feel the urge inside them. It grows from an initial trigger. They imagine themselves progressing, entertaining crowds, mastering the chords and scales of the instrument. Subsequently, they seek assistance in their endeavor. They look for guitar teachers in their area. They do a few sample lessons with several and eventually choose one they can work with. They have enacted their plan of developing their skill. They may not feel virtuous straight away yet, with practice, they will start to feel virtuous at some point in their guitarist journey. They may experience virtue when they have mastered a solo, played their first gig or simply learnt to play a simple song satisfactorily.

Concluding Remarks

The path of virtue lies in moving away from the unhelpful mind states and trying to spend as long as possible in generative, helpful states of being.