“Lord give me patience, and give me patience now!”
This quote has been in my brain since I was a little kid. I’ve always thought it was hilarious how people often think with the sentiment in that comment.
Another one I’ve heard lately goes like this:
“Many people want change, but most people don’t want to change.”
This statement reflects a common reality: while many of us may wish for improvements or different circumstances in our lives when it comes to actually taking the steps to make those changes happen, we’re often resistant.
Leaving our comfort zones and making significant shifts in routines or behaviors can feel daunting. I get a front-row seat to this every day.
I’ve heard all the excuses:
“I don’t have time.”
“I don’t have money.”
“I’ll do it later.”
“I want to do this when I can dedicate the appropriate amount of… blah, blah, blah…”
It’s infuriating, but it’s also the nature of this business I’m in and how people operate. (Ambitious adults don’t.)
A Case Study
I recently spoke with a business on the importance of celebrating the completion of our transactions.
Out of 15 people, only one scheduled a meeting to “complete.”
Management accepted this result and called our time a “great accomplishment”. I, however, think we left value on the table. (Sue me. I’m intense… I’m rigorous… I believe following through means something…)
As we search for success and satisfaction in our lives and work, it’s tempting to look for quick fixes or shortcuts. But life, as Terry Laughlin* reminds us in his interview in Tribe of Mentorsby Tim Ferriss, isn’t designed to hand us easy wins.
Instead, it’s full of challenges that push us to grow.
True mastery, in Terry’s view, is the art of transforming those challenges into something more — a path where each obstacle, tackled with practice, makes us stronger and more satisfied.
Laughlin speaks to a fundamental truth:
“The key to that satisfaction is to reach the nirvana in which love of practice for its own sake (intrinsic) replaces the original goal (extrinsic) as our grail.”
At its core, mastery is about embracing process and results, depth and speed. It’s about loving the journey itself and, in my opinion, hitting the shots we call, consistently.
He shared in his interview his five steps to mastery, and I think there’s a ton of value in committing these to memory.
Laughlin’s Five Steps to Mastery
- Choose a Worthy and Meaningful Challenge – Focus on what matters, what is meaningful, and what will challenge you to grow in ways that truly count. (In my world, this means, “What’s your aim?”)
- Seek a Sensei or Master Teacher – We all need guides who can help us prioritize and stay true to our path. (To me, this means “Evidence the State of Mind of an Ambitious Adult and Prove Fitness” — and if you don’t have the fitness, find someone who can help.)
- Practice Diligently – Mastery demands diligence. It’s about honing skills, not rushing. Each level of competence is a step toward the next. (Practice! You’re talking about practice!!)
- Love the Plateau – Progress comes in thrilling leaps forward, often followed by long, “stuck” periods where it feels like nothing is changing. But in these quiet stretches, new behaviors take root and grow into habits. (A quote I read this morning from Ben Silberman** says, “A lot of professions assume that you’re going to take 8 to 10 years just to achieve the minimum level of competence necessary to start to practice. That’s been a good grounding force when doing projects because a lot of things go wrong here and there, but if you just assumed that anything worthwhile is going to take 5 to 10 years, they don’t feel as severe.”)
- Embrace Mastery as a Journey, Not a Destination – Masters don’t believe they’ve “made it.” The best stay curious, open, and humble, recognizing there is always more to learn. (If you assume you can’t get any better, then you’re absolutely right…)
Laughlin teaches us that if we set our highest goal as incremental, patient growth — honing our core skills and allowing rewards to come as natural byproducts of excellence — we’ll find satisfaction.
It’s about continually learning and building competence, not just racking up titles or achievements. (It’s also not about letting ourselves off the hook if we don’t hit our goal, we must look at the hard facts and begin the inquiry as to how to do better in the future.)
Laughlin’s Motivation
For Laughlin, mastery in swim coaching meant never settling, always reaching for deeper insights and evolving techniques.
It was about changing lives and leaving a lasting mark on his field. In his view, to pursue mastery is to commit to a life of meaningful impact and relentless curiosity — something no “quick fix” can consistently achieve.
Regardless of the field you’re in, let’s be relentless in our pursuit of meaningful challenges, passionate in our practice, and ever-curious on our journey.
In the end, mastery is not just about what we achieve but also about who we become through the process.
Do the work. Take the action.
Practice Mastery.
* Terrence James Laughlin (25 March 1951 – 20 October 2017), was an American swimming coach and founder of Total Immersion, a popular swimming technique that emphasizes form before speed. He also became a best-selling author and the producer of swimming videos that drew millions of views.
** Ben Silbermann (born July 14, 1982) is an American Internet Entrepreneur. He is the co-founder and executive chairman of Pinterest, a visual discovery engine that lets users organize images, links, recipes, and other things.