BIG ideas.

Dabbler, Obsessive & Hacker by George Leonard

"We all aspire to mastery, but the path is always long and sometimes rocky, and it promises no quick pay off. So we look for other paths, each of which attracts a different person." ~ George Leonard from Mastery

And those three other paths? The Dabbler. The Obsessive. And the Hacker.

The Dabbler: Gets really into something for awhile and loves the quick results but the moment things fade, he/she's off to the next new thing—rationalizing that it just wasn't a good fit. Hence, no mastery.

The Obsessive: A bottom-line type of person who wants to get the tennis stroke right on the first lesson and, when results start to slow, pushes even harder to make it work, ignoring the fact that plateaus are part of the path of mastery—pushing and pushing mercilessly to create a continuing upward curve. Then? A sharp, sharp decline. Hence, no mastery.

The Hacker: After sort of getting the hang of something, the hacker is content to stay at a plateau—never really improving his skills beyond the first basic level. Hacking, hacking hacking. Hence, no mastery.

You can find these three alternatives to mastery in work, sport, and relationships. Where do you show up? Can you think of some examples of how you may have shown up as a Dabbler, Obsessive or Hacker? In your career? In your hobbies? In your relationships?

(In my non-mastery detours, I've mastered the Dabbler persona—in hobbies (tennis, golf, martial arts, yoga, triathlon, etc.), relationships, creative projects, etc. I'm all about it until the initial buzz wears off and the "work" begins. You? :)

"We fail to realize that mastery is not about perfection. It's about a process, a journey. The master is the one who stays on the path day after day, year after year. The master is the one who is willing to try, and fail, and try again, for as long as he or she lives." ~ George Leonard from Mastery