What My Obsession With Mastery Can Teach You

“We are all in search of feeling more connected to reality — to other people, the times we live in, the natural world, our character, and our own uniqueness. Our culture increasingly tends to separate us from these realities in various ways. We indulge in drugs or alcohol, or engage in dangerous sports or risky behavior, just to wake ourselves up from the sleep of our daily existence and feel a heightened sense of connection to reality. In the end, however, the most satisfying and powerful way to feel this connection is through creative activity. Engaged in the creative process we feel more alive than ever, because we are making something and not merely consuming, Masters of the small reality we create. In doing this work, we are in fact creating ourselves.” (Robert Greene, Mastery)

“A soccer game being played at night under floodlights” by Abigail Keenan on Unsplash

The topic of mastery has always fascinated me since I was a young boy. It was the one thing that allowed me to transcend every day life and explore something that was awe inspiring.

One of the main ways that I would observe and indulge in the subject of mastery is by watching great athletes such as Kobe Bryant and Lionel Messi. As an micro example, I will shortly focus on my fascination with an athlete at the level of Lionel Messi.