Tired of mediocrity? Try This Instead

The path to mastery is the only way to abandon mediocrity

Here is the sad truth about 98% of you.

You want to start a new exercise program, write your first novel, or go for the career you have always dreamed of.

But you are not going to now.

The chances are high that you never will.

Why?

Because you are a dabbler.

In his book Mastery, George Leonard describes the dabbler as someone who “Gets really into something for a while and loves the quick results, but the moments things fade, he/she’s off to the next new thing — rationalizing that it just wasn’t a good fit.”

Sound familiar?

I know it does because that was my approach to self-improvement for years.

I would try something new and have some initial success, but as soon as a roadblock got in the way, I moved on to the next latest and shiny project where I could “succeed”.

The problem with being a dabbler is that you never become great at anything.

You know you have much more potential than you are demonstrating, but you cannot stick with anything long enough to realize that potential.

You always wonder what could have been if you just stuck with it.

You chase dream after dream, but they are just beyond your reach, and it drives you crazy.

The problem is that you will keep repeating this cycle until you decide to make a change.

Is it possible to stop being a dabbler and realize your potential? Yes.

How do I know? I am in the process of making this change right now!

I am making this change because I am no longer satisfied with dabbling my way through life.

I don’t want to be good anymore; I want to be great!

I am giving up dabbling to become a master.

You can, too!!!

George Leonard explains, “At the heart of it, mastery is practice. Mastery is staying on the path.”

I have found myself obsessed with instant success. I want to pile up gain after gain without experiencing pain or, even worse, no progress at all.

I hate the idea of the plateau, putting in work and seeing no improvement for an indeterminate amount of time.

Have you found yourself in this same situation?

Do you want constant improvement with no plateaus, problems, or roadblocks?

How do we overcome this obsession with constant gains with little or no strain?

We must learn to love the plateau!

George Leonard argues, “Goals and contingencies, as I’ve said, are important. But they exist in the future and the past, beyond the pale of the sensory realm. Practice, the path of mastery, exists only in the present. You can see it, hear it, smell it, feel it. To love the plateau is to love the eternal now, to enjoy the inevitable spurts of progress and the fruits of accomplishment, then serenely to accept the new plateau that waits just beyond them. To love the plateau is to love what is most essential and ensuring in your life.”

How do you stop being a dabbler and start on the path to mastery?

You need to adopt Gabrielle Ottengen’s WOOP strategy.

In her book Rethinking Positive Thinking, Ottengen uses the acronym WOOP to stand for Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, and Plan.

You need to imagine the thing you want (your wish) in vivid detail. You can write this out or make a vision board. Do whatever helps you visualize what you want. Let yourself feel the positive emotions and motivation to make that wish a reality.

Next, you must consider the outcome you want to achieve by obtaining that wish. How will making that wish come true to benefit you?

Be selfish here!

There is no need to downplay the personal benefits to you or try to make them sound good to other people.

Remember, be selfish! You don’t need to show this list to anyone else.

Make it personal!

Make it selfish!!

Make it your own!!!

The third step is the most important and the one that you are most likely to skip. You need to consider the obstacles that will likely get in your way.

What will get in the way if you want to write three Medium articles each week? Will you be tired after work and not want to do the research needed to write? Will you allow work priorities to hinder your daily writing time? Will there be family demands that knock you off track?

In advance, think about the things most likely to keep you from achieving your goals and list them.

Finally, make an if-then plan to overcome those obstacles when they arise.

If you are tired after work, you will spend at least five minutes researching for tomorrow’s writing block.

If you are not fully prepared for work, you will stay late to get ahead and protect your writing time the next day.

If you know about a family obligation, you will put in extra time on the weekend or early in the morning to stay on schedule.

Final Thoughts

Brian Johnson’s book Arete encourages the reader to move from theory to practice to mastery. If you are a dabbler, the theory of WOOP probably sounds good, but you need to make it a practice.

At least once a week, go through the WOOP process.

Reaffirm your wishes and outcomes.

List the likely obstacles that will get in the way that week.

Make an if-then plan to overcome those obstacles.

If the plan works, repeat it!

If the plan does not work, don’t beat yourself up. Go through the process again, but this time, you will see the obstacle that got in your way last week and make a better plan for overcoming it this week.

It is not about being perfect. It is about starting down the path to mastery.

Take Ottengen’s theory, make it a weekly practice, learn from any mistakes, and keep practicing and watch yourself getting closer to your goal weekly.

Fall in love with the process, and you will also fall in love with the person you are becoming!