A lesson in Mastery....

I have been thinking a lot lately. yeah, I know, I should stop that, right? I feel inundated with messages on hope, change, service...which is really good but it just has me thinking, which then fills me with anxiety, which then causes me to plan my total world domination as I now see it. ok, maybe that was a bit far. One of the best talks on service I have heard in a while was at church this past Sunday. Honestly, my church is not like some of you are thinking "church" I mean, we can wear jeans!?!?! AND the seats have cup holders for your coffee like in the movie theatres..it really is great. It was a guest speaker this past weekend and yes, it was a call to service much like when I went to Northland, my church back in Orlando a few weekends ago.


One of the things I love that I had read about recently was the pastor talked about the Mastery Curve. Progress on the road to mastery is full of sharp inclines followed by long plateaus. The idea of Mastery is to enjoy the ride, to be pleased with small wins, and to be patient. It’s taking pleasure in the practice or routine, rather than being focused only on the end goal.

In the actual learning experience, progress is less regular; the upward spurts vary; the plateaus have their own dips and rises along the way. But the general progression is almost always the same. To take the master's journey, you have to practice diligently, striving to hone your skills, to attain new levels of competence. But while doing so - and this is the inexorable fact of the journey - you also have to be willing to spend most of your time on a plateau, to keep practicing even when you seem to be getting nowhere.

He (Ted, the guest speaker) continued to explain that greatness if often found in the daily grind. He gave examples with sports, relationships, jobs, spirituality....and well, I have fallen into all those categories at one point in time. I had this renewed sense of when I know I am sitting on that plateau that is where the REAL work begins!!! if I can just recognize that....then you eventually get to that new level of growth..onward and upward you go!! Remember, even when we are doing the right thing, change takes a toll. Time and effort are needed to implement change....

So from now on resolutions just seem silly because maybe sometimes I need to resolve to really LIVE in the grind. I need to take the instruction, practice diligently, surrender all the negative, move forward with intention and just like that.....WORLD DOMINATION and I continue on the path of all things rad.

You might ask...how does this connect to service? Well, that was what I was thinking at first but how can we possibly serve others out of self-less heart if we are not willing to fight it out in our own lives? Acts of service...excuse me...GENUINE acts of service allow us to recognize our own poverty. (i know...ouch) When I volunteer I begin to discover some of those deep seeded truths(if I allow myself)while on that plateau...

ok...plateau...ready or not...here I COME!!!!