Why The Goal Of Mastery Is Self-Defeating

When you dive deeply into the World of Development, there is one word that is almost singularly used as the End Goal.

Mastery.

Now, "Mastery" itself is not inherently bad, but the Reality is that it doesn't work well as an End-Goal.

How do I know?

How many people Struggle with Mastery?

It doesn't matter what type of Mastery you are looking at, you will end up finding similar rates of Failure.

In Leadership Development alone, where the Goal is Leadership Mastery, there is an 80% Rate of Failure, with "Limited Success" the remainder of the time.

I have even read that Personal Development Programs, with the Goal of Self-Mastery, have up to a 96% Failure Rate.

How can it be that in these Industries that are worth Billions of Dollars, the Failure Rate is so Astronomically High?

Are we as Humans so "Mastery Averse" that it simply doesn't come to most of us?

What if I were to tell you that the Problem wasn't "You" as a Human, but rather the Goal of Mastery Itself?

Again, I do Not Believe Mastery is bad, it just works Poorly as a Goal.

Why is this?

Let's start with this.

What is Mastery?

It is being Recognized as an Expert in a Skill or Knowledge, who has Power and Command over something.

If you have Self-Mastery, you are an Expert in yourself with Power and Command Over Yourself.

If you have Leadership Mastery, you are an Expert in Leading Others with Power and Command Over Them.

Now, these don't "sound" bad, and aren't, but we have to look at how Psychology plays out with these Ideas.

In our Brains, when we Believe that "Mastery" is the "Goal", and we have become an "Expert" in it, with "Power and Command Over Them", what happens?

Subconsciously, our Brains Create a Correlation that "Mastery" means "The End".

To our Brains, once we have "Mastered" something, that is all there is to it.

Further, in our Subconscious Background, we begin to Believe that there is nothing else for us within what we have "Mastered".

But this Is Not Reality.

What happens to Every Single Person in Reality is that they Discover that Things Change.

Something that "Used" to Work Suddenly has become "Useless".

You used to have a Diet that helped you lose so much weight, but now that Diet is causing problems for your body.

You used to be able to Command Teams with Skill and Grace, only for another Generation to come into the office who See a Completely Different World that You Fail to Understand.

Shortly after we have "Mastered" something, the Rules and Game Completely Change.

The Reality of Life is that Change is Inevitable.

A Constant "Mastery" is an Ideal that does not Exist.

This is Why "Mastery" as a Goal is Flawed.

When we Idealize "Mastery", we put the Concepts on a Pedestal and Miss the Flaws that Inherently Exist.

As Time continues, the Flaws present themselves, but we are Blinded from seeing them.

The World Changes and we are left wondering "How" could we have Successfully Mastered something (which is possible), yet now be Left Powerless?

See, Mastery itself is not Truly an End Goal.

Mastery is only a Step into something Greater.

You must Pass through Mastery, but not Idolize or Idealize it.

Mastery is Not the End, but Rather a Launching Point.

You Truly "Can" Master Something for a Time, but the Times Change.

Until you Fully Grasp that, you will always be playing a Losing Game of Running toward a "Mastery" that will Stop Existing.

So, what should we be our Goal Instead?

In my 8 Stages to a Quality Career, I talked about becoming a Sage.

See, the Sage has an Inherent Understanding that "Total Mastery" is an Illusion, and they see the Reality of Constant Change.

They have become Masters in many ways, but they go Beyond that by becoming Creators and Innovators in their Lives.

True Sages have become so In Tune with the Constant Process of Creating and Innovating that they can see how it can play out, not only for themselves, but for others as well.

See, Masters get Stuck when Change Occurs, and they are forced to seek out Sages to Understand New Paths.

The Master becomes Self-Defeated in the face of Change because they have Idealized or Idolized their "Mastery".

They cannot see the Flaws, the Outside Potentials, or the Missing Components that could Change Everything.

However, the Sage is Constantly looking for these things, to get Ahead of them and Stay Ahead.

They Appreciate the Mastery that Exists Today, but also are Aware it is Temporary.

The Sage will Update their Beliefs and Understandings as things Change.

Mastery is a Great Step, but Not Goal.

The Goal should be Designing the Future, which is what a Sage Truly Seeks.