Passion alone is not enough

How to Become a Master of Your Craft

The Value of Mastering Your Craft

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Passion is a wonderful thing. Applied passion is a powerful thing. "If you can dream it, you can be it," as the saying goes. However, defining what it takes to realize your dream and committing to the necessary effort is critical. It is quite common for a person or a group of people to be extremely passionate in conversation about a goal and never get out of their seats to do anything about it. Educating yourself and having a deep understanding of a subject is extremely important when looking to achieve success. Gathering information from others is also valuable. However, there's a balance. Too much research can result in the killer of all dreams: procrastination! Almost every task seems more difficult in anticipation than in execution. At some point, we should stop reading and talking, and start doing. Vision without execution is a hallucination. The toughest thing you will ever do is begin.

Focus on perfecting one specific skill at a time. Mastery requires intensity. Dividing your attention on various pursuits will only slow your journey. Steer away from being a "jack of all trades and a master of none."

1. Pick a skill wisely

While most people desire to perfect their craft, many people lack execution. Becoming a master requires repeated action and constant intensity. Don't get caught up in wishful thinking. Make a habit of practicing your skill and scheduling time to do it.

3. Get doing

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2. Commit to your goal

Mastery is a long-term journey that never ends. After all, mastery is the process of becoming a life-long learner. Those who don't commit or quit during plateaus and challenges are dabblers. Masters remain steadfast for the long haul.

by Don Harvey

Mastery is the art of perfecting your craft

In business, the only constant is change. The list of things that will change throughout your career is limitless—you start a new job, take on greater responsibilities or your industry changes. When we become too comfortable with where we are now, mastery dwindles, and our skills become stagnate. Growth happens outside of your comfort zone. Masters are always looking for new ways to perfect their craft.

Intensity is the enemy of complacency

Mastery reaches new heights when we push ourselves during moments of change. Complacency bears no reward in the plan to perfect your skill. When you cease to nurture momentum, it is challenging to start again. Lack of intensity dismantles progress towards personal greatness and inadvertently affects others. When you stop giving your best effort, you negatively impact your skills, team and firm. Reaching mastery is undeniably a feat of conquering one's self. Self-doubt, lack of motivation and obstacles can often get in the way. Use the steps below to maintain your intensity throughout your mastery journey.

4. Find a coach

It is critical to have a great coach. This should be someone who has been in your shoes and made it through. Ideally, a coach should inspire you to be successful. They can provide mentorship and navigation throughout your skill progression.

5. Leverage a support system

A supportive parent, friend, coworker or significant other who cares for you and has your back can be very advantageous during your mastery journey. Stay focused with an intimate circle of people who can pick you up when you fail and keep you humble when you achieve success.

6. Focus on desire

You must have a strong personal desire to put in the work. This desire needs to be backed by a commitment to be successful. Muster additional strength by realizing many people before you have been through this. YOU CAN DO IT, too!

7. Get inspired

The trials, tribulations and success of others can be very inspiring. Research influential leaders in your field and find a story that inspires you. Connect with them on LinkedIn to learn from their success. Use their stories of triumph over obstacles as motivation.

8. Never stop practicing

The best way to learn something is to do it. Get obsessed with perfecting your craft through deliberate practice. The key to continued success is establishing and maintaining momentum. Practice with matched intensity and commitment will make all the difference in your level of skill.

Mastery is defined as having comprehensive knowledge or skill in a subject. Comprehension is understanding all, or nearly all, elements or aspects of something. By these definitions, it's obvious that becoming a master of your craft takes a great deal of time, effort and desire. The cool thing about reaching this level of expertise is the payoff.

Execute these actions daily to build your momentum. Before you know it, the needle will move forward, and your confidence will fuel your pursuit in reaching mastery.

Dr. Angela Duckworth, social scientist and acclaimed author of "Grit," spent 15 years researching athletes, business professionals and successful individuals from various fields. She discovered a formula for achieving success. Here's the adapted version:

Let's break this down even further. The intensity of the practice (aka effort) impacts the degree of the skill. Here's an example: Two kids ask a coach to teach them how to shoot a basketball. The coach gives them each a ball and explains where they should place their fingers to maintain control and direction. He shoots a ball himself to demonstrate how to put the ball thru the hoop. Child A practices once a week for one hour and takes 100 shots. Child B practices every day for four hours and takes 1,000 shots. Which child will develop these skills with the best technique the fastest? Obviously, Child B. Even if Child A is a better natural athlete, Child B's hustle and dedication will push him or her ahead faster. Child B is on their way to more quickly becoming the best they can be. Acquiring a skill and applying continued intensity results in high levels of achievement, according to Dr. Duckworth's research. As you become proficient in one area, you then move to the next level of skill and repeat the process (i.e., shooting to dribbling to rebounding to defense to passing, etc.). The reason some people achieve greatness and others perform adequately is not because of natural talent. Passion followed by dedication and tenacity is the differentiator. Masters are made, not born!

Practice + Effort = Skill

Skill + Effort = Achievement

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