Fundamentals Fundamentals Fundamentals

Those familiar with famed UCLA basketball coach John Wooden may already know how he traditionally ran his first practice of the season. As fresh-faced and spry 18-year old freshmen were chomping at the bit to get on the court and show their stuff, Wooden supposedly spent the bulk of the time showing the young men how to put on their socks and tie their shoes. Future hall-of-famers like Luke Walton and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar looked on in bewilderment wondering if they were being put on.

In time, they would go on to appreciate the coach's unorthodox methods. What Wooden was trying to teach his young players was the necessity of first mastering the fundamentals no matter how well you think you already know them. Showing someone how to properly put on a pair of socks may seem ridiculous but if they're too tight you're likely to get blisters after running up and down the court for hours and having to stop on a dime. In other words, too often we want to just jump in before mastering the basics. 

What Wooden understood was poise, patience, and mastery of the fundamentals were essential to being world class. His 10 national championships in 12 years, including 7 years in a row seem like a pretty strong argument for his belief system. 

Energy Begets Energy

"A human being is the kind of machine that wears out from lack of use. There are limits, or course, and we do need healthful rest and relaxation, but for the most part we gain energy by using energy...If we could tap as little as an added 10 percent of this vast resource, our lives would be significantly altered." 

George Leonard, author of Mastery, has a terrific point. We actually expend a great deal of energy deciding not to do things that we could. We invest the time we could spend on projects of value on Netflix binges or sleeping in. 

If we somehow found the ability to dig deep and push ourselves just a little more, while making a few sacrifices we could significantly alter our way of living - multiplying our productivity along the way.

In time it would become habit. We'd get energy by using it.  

Fall in Love with the Plateau

In George Leonard's book, Mastery he talks about the importance of falling in love with the plateau.

"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 enduring in your life."

In other words, we need to protect our desire for mastery from the daily onslaught of noise against it; to pay no mind to the get rich quick, lose weight quick, and take this pill to solve all your problems stories we're told. 

Instead, becoming great at something requires falling in love with the process itself even when you feel as though you're getting nowhere.

You'll derive satisfaction not from the likes or followers you get, but the satisfaction you'll gain in starting and committing to something important to you.

Keep Mining Your Weird

According to Robert Greene, author of The 48 Laws of Power, Mastery, and The Art of Seduction one of the single biggest killers of living a bold and unique life is we stop "mining for weird."

As cliche as it sounds, there is absolutely nobody on the planet like you. And not just in a spiritual or divine sort of way. Literally and biochemically nobody has your exact DNA coding and no one ever will. And as a result, we are all unique and "weird" in the most profound ways.

What happens as we get older though is we conform. We take the type of jobs everyone else has, do the things we're told we're supposed to do, and as a result we stop searching and cultivating those very qualities that set us apart.

Get back in touch with your inner weirdness and live as boldly as you thought possible when you were a kid.