10,000 HOURS TO MASTERY Master Prophet E. Bernard Jordan LESSON 9 THE DAO OF MASTERY

“The birth of the new constitutes a crisis, and its mastery calls for a crude and simple cast of mind -- the mind of a fighter -- in which the virtues of tribal cohesion and fierceness and infantile credulity and malleability are paramount. Thus every new beginning recapitulates in some degree man's first beginning.” (Eric Hoffer)

WARRIOR STRENGTH The spirits you encounter on your journey to mastery will reflect only the person you are becoming. That new self must include a warrior’s strength, a runner’s endurance and a poet’s gift for inspiration. Why? The purpose of mastery is to project it outward, to use it to teach others, create new things or change society. A warrior’s strength is needed because there will always be an inherent resistance to the novel.

WARRIOR STRENGTH (CON’T) Reg Revans, British scholar, said, “Unless your ideas are ridiculed by experts, they are worth nothing.” You must fight to have that which you create with your mastered skills accepted by others. In the 1990s, Jeff Bezos was ridiculed by financiers and businesspeople alike for an audacious new commerce idea that everyone was sure would fail. Bezos stuck to his guns and believed in his vision. He resurrected his company time and time again and kept it going until the rest of the world caught up with his idea. (Amazon.com)

THE GOALS OF MASTERY You must have a runner’s endurance: Needed because you will spend years of false starts and resistance to create something from your mastery. The goals of mastery: Transform yourself Serve and teach others Bring something new into the world

THE GOALS OF MASTERY (CON’T) The creation of the new always battles existing currents. A new company or invention demands many years of work to become accepted, if it ever is. Sometimes, it is not accepted until after the creator’s death. You must persist. The time that the journey to mastery takes is not so only because it requires 10,000 hours of repetition to achieve excellence at something. By the time you reach mastery, the price you have paid is so high you will endure anything to vindicate your sacrifice and bring your mastery to fruition.

COMMUNICATORS The eloquence of a poet is needed because you are also an ambassador for human potential. You must be able to communicate your experience and its rewards to others. Masters are also communicators, filled with the spirit of God and their own passion. Jesus, King, Gandhi, Mandela, all orators of matchless skill and courage. You should be able to convince others that the price you have paid is worth it. Your best weapon to do this is yourself.

EXHIBIT COURAGE How do you live? Are you healthy? Joyful? Prosperous? You are your most eloquent testimony. As Francis of Assisi said, “Preach the word whenever possible. When necessary, use words.” Mastery is a conscious decision to move beyond your natural talent, to admit that your talent is insufficient. Everyone you encounter on your journey will be a reflection of the courage you show in admitting that your natural ability is not enough and stepping into the unknown.

EXHIBIT COURAGE (CON’T) The more profound your courage, the more you will encounter others who bring new light to your road. The trek to mastery leads you into undiscovered country. Along the way, you will find allies who will help you make progress. The nature of those you attract to your purpose will depend entirely on who you are becoming and what your purpose is. Like attracts like. Greed attracts greed. Love attracts love. What is your purpose attracting?

10,000 HOURS TO MASTERY Master Prophet E. Bernard Jordan LESSON 9 THE DAO OF MASTERY