The Path to Mastery

The growth of skill is a rather deceiving one. It is not constant or linear at all. Instead it is a series of plateaus that coincide into an asymptote. The more well-versed one is in a skill, than the harder it is to improve. Quite simply, it is hard to get good at something. True masters have realized the secret to getting better. Failure and lots of it. Specifically failing forward, the act of not letting negative aspects hinder one's process. This makes sense logically. Similar to how pressure either crushes a rock into smithereens or transfigures it into a diamond. It is how one reacts to the pressure of failure that dictates how one will progress in life. Because without risk, then there is no reward. It is the simple binary nature of life. There is eustress and distress powering every situation. If there was no strikeout would a homerun be as rewarding? On a grander scale, the same is true with wins and losses. OK, all things one should be aware of, there are countless stories of people overcoming adversity. Tales of Albert Einstein struggling in school and Michael Jordan being cut from his high school team. However both these tales proved to be fictional. Einstein actually performed quite admirably at school and in reality Jordan was only demoted to the junior varsity team his sophomore year. Rather small things and people might argue that the tales lose their allure due to truth. I instead argue the opposite. The significance of these tales is in fact the insignificance of them. There was no movie moment that led to Einstein and Jordan's success, they simply went out and did it. Despite the regular drag of life. They sought out the path of mastery. So back to the original question, why is mastery so elusive. Let us examine exhibit 1:


Situated above is the video of my first Mixed-Martial-Arts fight. I lost. Post fight I heard all the right things, knew that I had to move on and not linger. It resonated and was something that I knew was right. How much of a difference did this make? Well personally, I was still emotionally devastated. It truly hurts. Not in the physical sense but a loss takes its toll mentally. I wanted to win with every fiber of my being. To come short dealt a very harsh blow to my enormous ego. It is not easy. Watching this fight still haunts me and will probably do so until the day I pass. However the adage, "When you lose, don't lose the lesson." This rings very true with my scenario. I understood before hand that failure is a possibility going into any competition. To feel it first hand is a completely different feeling than simply knowing. Though still affected today, I move forward on the path. Because I refuse to let my past dictate my future. Will I succeed? That is unknown. Will I fail again? Maybe so. But none of that matters to me. Because I do not pursue comfort in this life. What I am after is truth. Do I have what it takes to become a master? I truly do not know. One thing I do know is that I will not allow myself to let uncertainty stop me. My struggle as real as it is to me is rather insignificant in the grand scheme of the universe. I do not let this get me down, rather it empowers me. Despite being a mere speck in this world, I intend to live my limited speck life to the fullest. Here's to you reader and whatever path you are on.