Present Continuous State
I’ve been thinking a bit (I must admit I’m always thinking in bits and pieces about many things) about the concept of mastery and what it truly means. Mastery in the true sense of the word speaks to gaining total dominance or complete control over something or having a very high level of skill and knowledge in a chosen area. For the former I think of Grand Masters and Senseis and for the latter I think of what are aptly termed highly skilled professionals (HSP).
The concept I want to explore more is that of deliberate practice and continuous learning. Studies have shown that masters of the latter variety above can sometimes get into a groove (and by groove here, I mean rut not rhythm) that comes from doing the same type of ‘masterful’ work over and over again. Those in the field of educating these types of masters and granting them degrees and licenses to practice, recognize this, hence the concept of continuing education. The premise being the need to keep up to date with what are sometimes astronomical advances in many of these fields.
Does one truly gain mastery without “teaching” or training themselves and others? This is my rhetorical question of the day. We can train ourselves consciously and unconsciously without recognizing that we are learning until after the fact but to train others requires us digging deep into what we have learned and being able to show a conscious level of competence.
I am reflecting upon all of these as I take on the learning challenge of teaching my first formal health communications course. From an editor’s perspective, I have been working with layers of unconscious knowledge borne out of conscious and constant training and realize that I have not dug deeper into the learn by teaching aspect of it. As I curate and gather and prepare lesson plans, I recognize even more that it takes a lot of work to structure what you know and layer it in a way that appeals to willing learners. One might argue such a challenge comes naturally to me since I am also a teacher and to that I say the various principles and concepts involved in finding mastery, no matter what shape or form they take, are no easy walks.
For authors who wish to write more books, what have been your methods and practices for gaining more mastery either in writing or publishing? Is this even something you wish to do? Because I find that for many, writing a book is a bucket list affair. Similar to those who run a marathon once and are done with it, writing a book is goal directed (hard) work with a lot of discipline, focus and patience. Upon completing a one-time marathon goal though, some people find that they want to keep doing it over and over (for whatever masochistic, bodily endurance and fitness reasons :)). So, also some write the one book and find they want to do it over and over again as their own way of learning and teaching through the written word.
Taking the latter perspective in whatever our hands find to do, we then see that gaining mastery is truly never a done affair. We must keep learning, stretching and growing in order to show kōhais’ (those coming behind) the way.
Extra NOTES
Summer is here! Officially anyway for some of us in the Western hemisphere. As a person who loves to sleep but who is a certified day girl, the longer days of summer bring much joy. Summer, the one season stereotypically marked for leisurely beach reading. As an HSP, I find the season perfect for reading non-work-related interesting material put aside for a ‘later’ time.
Resources and Readings
My Adult Reads; The Power of Voice1, the concept of Nonviolent Communication2, Say What You Mean3, and Conversations Worth Having4 are all on the ‘beach’ table to be explored.
For My Kids; The Little Prince5, Exploring Our Feelings, Agent Moose6 Series, Secret Agent 6th Grader7 Series and Around the World in 80 Days8 are in their beach buckets…I have to ask: Am I the only one seeing some irony in having books about feelings and secret agents in one pail?
What’s in your reading bucket or on your beach table for the summer?
Authors
1Denise Woods, 2Marshall Rosenberg 3Oren J Sofer 4Jackie Stavros et al 5Antoine St Exupery 6Mo O’Hara 7Marcus Emerson and Noah Child
Please share thoughts about your ‘book lists’ with me at editor@getfabediting.com
“Travel Far, Pay No Fare… a book can take you anywhere.”
