Chapter Pages 203-219
Chapter Title: The Three Commitments
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“Most assume mastery is an end result, but at its core, mastery is a way of thinking, a way of acting, and a journey you experience. When what you’ve chosen to master is the right thing, then pursuing mastery of it will make everything else you do either easier or no longer necessary. That’s why what you choose to master matters.”
I think that we can all agree on the fact that Americans are not learning as much in our schools as we possibly could be or should be learning. I’ve done my own research over the past 15 years; a lot of the research has included conversations with close friends ranging from elementary school teachers to college professors, and the rest of the research has been dealing with the school system as an involved parent.
I’ve laid that foundation to say that a lot of us will complain about the school system, but won’t take the initiative to pursue the type of knowledge and skills needed to make up for what we missed in our education or with what our kids are CURRENTLY missing in school.
One of the problems that I see with our school system is that it’s not teaching us how to find what we like to do and master it. What it does is to teach us how to go find a job regardless of our passions or if we like it or not.
Over the years I’ve had people who were in the midst of “finding themselves” leave a career in which they earned a degree in order to pursue real estate (which they also ended up leaving). My point is that we all know there’s a problem, but I don’t think that enough of us are setting an example on how to fix the problem.
For example, as adults, we can set examples for the youth by finding what we love to do and then MASTERING it. Or if we’ve already mastered something, then we should be teaching others what we know. Just imagine if half of the people that we knew took this approach. Then imagine if you and I always took this approach :)
How would this country look?
~Matthew
Food for thought….
What are you mastering in real estate?
Flipping 2, 6, 10 deals per month?
Best Executive Assistant?
Best Recruiter?
Best Listing Agent?
Best Selling Agent?
Best Brokerage?
Best Trainer?
Best Coach?
Chapter Highlights:(There's a LOT of great info in this chapter, please read it)
The Three Commitments
Follow the path of mastery
Move from "E - Entrepreneurial" to "P - Purposeful"
Live the accountability cycle
Most assume mastery is an end result, but at its core, mastery is a way of thinking, a way of acting, and a journey you experience. When what you’ve chosen to master is the right thing, then pursuing mastery of it will make everything else you do either easier or no longer necessary. That’s why what you choose to master matters.
I believe the healthy view of mastery means giving the best you have to become the best you can be at your most important work.
In one study, elite violinists had separated themselves from all others by each accumulating more than 10,000 hours of practice by age 20.
More than anything else, expertise tracks with hours invested.
Michelangelo once said, “If the people knew how hard I had to work to gain my mastery, it wouldn’t seem wonderful at all.”
The pursuit of mastery bears gifts.
Time blocking is essential to mastery, and mastery is essential to time blocking. They go hand in hand—when you do one, you do the other.
The path of mastering something is the combination of not only doing the best you can do at it, but also doing it the best it can be done.
You can’t put limits on what you’ll do. You have to be open to new ideas and new ways of doing things if you want breakthroughs in your life. As you travel the path of mastery you’ll find yourself continually challenged to do new things.
Purposeful person follows the simple rule that “a different result requires doing something different.”
Too many people reach a level where their performance is “good enough” and then stop working on getting better. People on the path to mastery avoid this by continually upping their goal, challenging themselves to break through their current ceiling, and staying the forever apprentice.
When we think we’ve maxed out our potential in a situation, starting over is how we think we’ll get ahead.
Being Purposeful is often about doing what comes “unnaturally, ” but when you’re committed to achieving extraordinary results, you simply do whatever it takes anyway.
Taking complete ownership of your outcomes by holding no one but yourself responsible for them is the most powerful thing you can do to drive your success.
Accountable people achieve results others only dream of.
No one is a born victim; it’s simply an attitude or an approach. But if allowed to persist, the cycle becomes a habit. The opposite is also true. Anyone can be accountable at any time—and the more you choose the cycle of accountability, the more likely it is to become your automatic answer to any adversity.
One of the fastest ways to bring accountability to your life is to find an accountability partner.
Earlier, I discussed Dr. Gail Matthews’s research that individuals with written goals were 39.5 percent more likely to succeed. But there’s more to the story. Individuals who wrote their goals and sent progress reports to friends were 76.7 percent more likely to achieve them. As effective as writing down your goals can be, simply sharing your progress toward your goals with someone regularly even just a friend, makes you almost twice as effective.
Don’t just settle for what comes naturally—be open to new thinking, new skills, and new relationships. If the path of mastery is a commitment to be your best, being purposeful is a commitment to adopt the best possible approach.