Pursuit of Mastery
Overnight success is mostly myth
Most of the overnight success stories are actually journeys that take a career’s length. Roblox was a 15 year “overnight success”. So was Shopify. Amazon and Netflix were even longer. The real length of those journeys began long before the first versions of those products were even launched.
Mastery takes time
Most people will dabble in many different things. When starting something new there is a rush of inspiration and curiosity. However, the feeling quickly fades, and that is why most people move on to something new shortly after. Especially now, in a world where there are so many products and services offer to satisfy short-term emotional needs, fighting distraction is that much harder. To pursue a single thing to the point of mastery, you need to be able to say no to most things. You need to commit to a single thing, for a long, long time at the opportunity cost of thousands of other things.
What if it doesn’t work out?
If you decide to choose the path of mastery, the odds that you will create the next Amazon, Netflix, Roblox or Shopify are close to zero. However, you there is almost a 100% chance you will find something much more valuable. The pursuit of mastery is the reward in itself.
The path isn’t a straight line like in movies. Movies only have limited time to show highlights. The journey in reality is a messy, winding path. However, it’s also full of learning, growing and discovering more about yourself.
The journey is the reward
Travelling the path towards mastery will give you a sense of calm, focus. That is even more priceless in today’s distraction-filled world. You won’t have a fear of missing out because you will know that you chose to close many doors in order to move towards one.
Happiness is the joy we feel pursuing our potential. Knowing who you are, what you value and that your actions reflect those things will give you a feeling that is priceless. Knowing that you are investing your time on a journey that authentically reflects who you are is part of how you live life without regrets.