A Hero's Journey

This week we read Chapters 1 - 4 in "Mastery ".  I really enjoyed what I have read as it has really opened my eyes to the progressive destruction of those who sink into the trap of instant gratification.  After reading these chapters I have been especially cognizant  of how media is playing a part in this.  It's everywhere around us.  Fame, fortune, everybody's dream, all with little work or effort on the part of the recipient.  Who wouldn't be attracted to this.  The temptation of putting off hard work when the easy life is seemingly right in front of us ready for the taking is becoming more enticing every second.  I can see in my own life how I have taken shortcuts because I have been too impatient to run the long plateau of hard work and practice.  Knowing this I have become empowered to make a huge difference in my own life.

Another highlight from this week was watching "The Hero's Journey" by Brian Carter.  Brian emphasized again the importance of mastery.  We must become an expert in something.  We can do this though diligent effort, and faith.  We can find our  our mission in life by understanding what special talents we have been blessed with, what truly makes us happy (when we "flow"), and what need can we satisfy.  When these three things mesh we have likely found our mission in life, the thing we were born to do.  This is similar to the hedgehog concept.  I'm not sure who first coined this term, but I heard it first by Jim Collins in "Good To Great."