3 Keys to Mastery
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In today's email, you'll learn what it takes to master your craft. When you finish reading this, you'll know how to get started on your path to mastery. Not in a gimmicky way, but how to actually do it. Warning, It's long, so make sure you have some spare time. You can also click here to read it in your browser if it's easier. First off, I want to explain what Mastery isn’t. Mastery is not a destination but a journey. It is about developing a lifelong deep devotion to a singular craft. Mastery is about being a student of your discipline forever. Mastery is not something to become; it’s something you do. Let’s get into it. “The 3 Keys to Mastery” Key number 1 Instruction Take, for example, running. I started running again, only to find myself injured very quickly. I’ve had to seek out a running coach to look at my technique, only to realise that:
These are just the beginning steps that I need to improve on. What’s more, I began to realise something essential: if you want to do anything well, go far in any domain, and excel at your craft, you need a teacher. Here’s a list of teachers you can use, from least to most effective.
Instruction either gives you feedback or it doesn’t. The problem with options 1 and 2 is that you have to be both the participant and the observer. And in that scenario, yes, you can take in information and apply it when you feel most motivated. But you won’t get direct feedback from somebody adjusting your technique, flaws, or imbalances. We learn fastest through feedback. Ideally, an experienced instructor would be best. Someone who can help you develop your knowledge and deepen your understanding but also give you feedback on making minor adjustments that will have quantum-leap effects on your craft. You want an instructor who will teach you essential skills and help you develop your discipline through conscious, intentional practice. You want an instructor that asks questions of you, not tells you how it should be done. You should look for an instructor who understands how different students learn. You want an instructor who knows they’re also on their path to mastery. The instructor must understand that the student is always his student. Therefore, he must help his student to the best of his ability, no matter what. Even if the student goes to learn from many other instructors, the instructor should know that the student is always welcome back to ask questions and receive an honest response. The student should always feel comfortable approaching the instructor again, knowing they won’t be judged on their choices to learn from multiple instructors. However, the student must realise that having multiple instructors is not the path to mastery. Having multiple teachers only muddies the waters. One instructor's teaching can contradict another, leaving the student confused and feeling they still have more to learn. This is not good for the student, who invests finances and time into a subject they want to improve in, because multiple teachings can slow down and even reverse the students' development. If you lean over a pond and wave your hand in the water, the pond will become cloudy, and the water will be less clear. This is what happens when a student has multiple teachers. Your vision becomes cloudy. Clarity isn’t achievable with a clouded mind. But clarity is of supreme importance on the path of mastery. All the students experience is one contradiction after another and no clear direction. This slows the students' progress almost to a halt, yet the most damaging thing is that the students never recognise this. The student is only on the quest for more information, as if “more” is what they need, which is the complete opposite. (Another email going deeper on this subject soon) I have two mentorsWhich sounds contradictory to what I just said, but hear me out. One mentor, I believe, is the king of precision haircutting. The Second is someone who has studied from the first. They are part of the same team. The information they teach is very identical. Not because one is copying the other but because they both hold similar beliefs, values, and principles regarding hair. Learning from these two precisely complements and enhances my learning rather than confuses it. This is beneficial to my development. What I learn from one helps me better understand the other. This is the only way having multiple instructors works, providing that they deliver a similar curriculum and hold the same beliefs, values, and principles in hair, plus the bonus that the second one is also learning from the first. On any other occasion, having multiple instructors will halt your progress; you just don’t realise it. The teacher becomes a student of the student Another thing I’ve come to realise is that you want a teacher who has the humility to learn from each of his students. The teacher learns from each student, from his first student to his second, third, fourth, and so on. What the teacher learns from each student is how to teach that student better next time. The teacher also must learn what this particular student's learning capabilities are, and the teacher must be able to recognise when the student doesn’t understand without the student admitting it. The teacher must be able to see that his student is experiencing some kind of brain fog, which can be indicated by facial expressions, body language, or silence. The teacher would then step in to assist again, ask the student some other questions about a similar topic, and begin to learn how the student learns best. You want a teacher who constantly tries to improve his students' learning every second of their session by learning how the student learns. The teacher will take mental and physical notes on each student to deepen his understanding of how this student responds to certain teachings. Key number 2: Surrender The first kind of surrender you need is to surrender to a teacher and the demands of a discipline. The second kind of surrender is the most difficult. Surrender your competence. Which is where you forget what you know and follow your teachers' guidance through thick and thin. The more adept you are, the harder this will be. If you are to absorb your education fully, you’ll have to swallow some pride and surrender to your teacher's training. Otherwise, you will block your mind from receiving information fully. You might hear the words, but unless you have surrendered to your teachers' way, your mind will block a percentage of what they teach. This is a suboptimal environment for your mind to take in information. When you surrender to your teachers’ way and accept that “you know nothing,” your mind is primed to receive all the information and ready to learn. If you feel like you know things that the teacher doesn’t or think you are more competent in some way, you’re not allowing yourself to learn. You’re wasting your time and resources. That doesn’t mean to say that the teacher knows more than you in every degree, but you’re not allowing yourself to accept the teacher’s training fully. You end up with only a fraction of the information, not the total amount. You can never know enough. When your teacher explains something, and you think you already know it, you must understand that you don’t. Take, for example, the classic scene where the student meets the Zen master. The Zen master pours tea, the cup fills up, the cup spills over, and the Zen master looks at the student in the eyes. The message is: Don’t ever think you’re full of knowledge. Again, this is why multiple instructors aren’t advised. Because if one instructor's way “makes more sense” to you, you will not be able to receive the new information correctly. It will not imbed into your psyche. This is destructive for your learning because the other instructor's way (which makes more sense to you now) may not be the most efficient or correct. Just because it “makes sense” right now doesn’t mean it’s the best or correct option. Surrendering to a teacher doesn’t mean you can’t question theory and application. Don’t turn your brain off. You still have authority over yourself and a rational mind. It means that you take the teaching but make your own decisions. Mastery is about balance, always. Key number Three: Practice There is no mastery without practice. Practice comes in 2 forms in mastery. 1: To do an action with repetitions. 2: To have a Practice. (Something to work on) Something that the Japanese call ‘Do’ – “The way” Practicing because practice defines you. Let’s cover both of these in detail Do an action with repetitions. Tiger Woods once said: “One of the things that I enforce all juniors, all kids, all pros, is that when I’m getting ready for tournaments, I make sure that every day I have 1,000 contacts with a club,” Woods said. “That doesn’t mean hitting a thousand balls on the range. That means possibly hitting a hundred balls on the range, 300 chips shots, 600 putts.” How this applies to practicing hair: Knowing that every haircut is created by cutting one section at a time, getting good at cutting one section will make you good at creating haircuts. Practice: Sectioning Layering Graduation Fading Over direction Elevation. And many more areas. But, what isn’t the most effective way to learn, is to complete a full haircut in one sitting. To continue using Tiger Woods as an example, to get better at tournaments, he didn’t play complete courses; he practiced each element that goes into playing a full game and practiced them a lot. When you go to practice, don’t try to do just one haircut; focus with conscious intention on one technique repeatedly. Get excited about the boring stuff; you’ll be amazed at how much you can learn in one go. Now let’s discuss the second part of key number 3. To have a Practice. (Something to work on) Something that the Japanese call ‘Do’ – “The way” Practicing because practice defines you. You should develop a deep devotion to your craft and learn to appreciate that you are always learning. I’ve seen it from the very top. Even the best in the world still understand the importance of a practice. Becoming a practitioner in your domain will define who you are and who you become. Becoming a practitioner of your craft allows you to focus. You know what you must do, and this realisation fills you with purpose and joy. You know this path is for you; anything else distracts you from your ideals. Having a purpose or practice gives you something to be accountable for. You are the only one in control of your destiny. If it doesn’t work out, it’s on you. As the saying goes: “If you quit on the process, you quit on the result.” Then I’ll say, “If you slack on your practice, you slack on your future.” Is that something you’re happy with? Half-assing it and always wondering, “What if.” I don’t think you are. You want more than that for yourself. You want to create a name and a future. You do that by accepting your practice and making a conscious effort to practice with conscious intention as much as possible. RecapThe first key to mastery is Instruction. Find a teacher and stick to them. Let them guide you. You should have only one teacher unless, in rare cases, both teachers are identical in their beliefs, values, and principles regarding hair. The second key to mastery is Surrender. Surrender to your teacher’s way to fully absorb the information. If you don’t, you will not reap all of the benefits. You still have authority over yourself. Ask questions. Take in the teachings and make your own decisions. The Third key to mastery is Practice. You must practice with conscious intention. Ideally, daily. You must become a practitioner. Know that you’re on your path and embody your discipline. You will unlock your calling and discover your purpose. Thank you for reading. I hope you found this helpful. Please share this with somebody who you think might benefit from reading it. I wish you all the success. Nathshapes P.S If you read this far, please send me a message on Instagram here with your thoughts |