10,000 HOURS TO MASTERY Master Prophet E. Bernard Jordan LESSON 7 THE SIGNS OF MASTERY

“Order and simplification are the first steps toward the mastery of a subject.” (Thomas Mann)

LOOK FOR THE SIGNS Signs and symbols are God’s method of pointing the way toward your destined path Signs and symbols are God’s method of testing your perception and openness to spiritual communication. Every journey is fraught with symbols and portents. The spiritually learned will notice doors opening and circumstances pointing them toward their highest purpose.

BREAKTHROUGHS On the journey you will encounter signs and portents along the road that will reveal that you are on the way to mastering your skill. Breakthroughs are the first sign. You will experience abrupt shifts in your thinking and vast insights that will reveal new truths about what you are pursuing. These breakthroughs are what have led in the past to many of the world-shaping inventions, discoveries and works of art we know today The airplane, quantum mechanics and the microprocessor among many.

ADAPTATION If you do not see breakthroughs, that is a sign that you are not pushing yourself aggressively enough into foreign territory. Adaptation is the second sign. As your mind evolves to greater capacity and your neural network expands, you will find it easier to absorb new information and rise to next levels of performance. Regular adaptation is the source of ever- increasing performance. You reach a plateau of skill, are confronted by a new challenge, adapt and master that challenge, and move on.

ADAPTATION (CON’T) If you do not acquire the ability to adapt to new demands as you work through your 10,000 hours, it is because you are too closed-minded about the direction your journey to mastery will take. Do not try to control your path to mastery. Simply walk the path that appears before you with all its twists and turns.

HUMILITY Humility is the third sign. As you become more adept at your chosen skill, you should find that you also become humbled by all that you do not know. Education must be accompanied by humility, because the student will make the transition into being the teacher. Every good teacher is humbled by his students.

RESTLESSNESS Restlessness is the fourth sign. As you proceed toward mastery, you will become hungry for more and more knowledge. You will become restless for that which the conventional wisdom cannot teach you. Your mind will compel you to ask more, to seek more, to ask why. “Why” is the ultimate question for the student of mastery.

RESTLESSNESS (CON’T) If you do not find this restlessness, it is because you are not thinking about the “why” behind your journey. You are settling for technical skills or simple knowledge without a sense of meaning behind them.

STUDENTS… Students are the final sign. When you have achieved mastery and are ready to become a mentor, students will appear to learn from you. This is the chain of mastery. Student becomes master and mentor, then passes on what he has learned to new generation of seekers. If students do not appear, there can be many reasons. One is that you have not achieved sufficient mastery to teach them.

STUDENTS… Another is that you have not the humility to share what you know. You are teaching to receive honor yourself, rather than to serve your students. The true signs of mastery will remind you of that which you need to know. You are always a student.

MASTERY OF SELF Mastery, the point of 10,000 hours, is merely the point where you can begin true learning, which is creation and synthesis. Remember, you are becoming! What you master will become who you are. You will be an entrepreneur, a black belt, a fluent speaker of Russian, a violin virtuoso. Mastery is emblematic of your Self.

MASTERY OF SELF (CON’T) Spiritual mastery is the subtlest form. The signs of mastery are also the signs of spiritual awareness. As you mature in spirit, you will develop the ability to perceive portents. You should know what your personal benchmarks will be as you embark on your road to mastery.

10,000 HOURS TO MASTERY Master Prophet E. Bernard Jordan LESSON 7 THE SIGNS OF MASTERY