Principles of Mastery

A large ship can create tremendous momentum through thousands of tiny commitments from its propellers. It’s the same with us.  Mastering small and yet seemingly insignificant little things, on a daily basis, sets us up to master the major things.  In this, it’s not so much about what we learn as it is about consistently doing what we learn.

Mastery isn’t as much about breakthroughs in understanding (those “ah-ha” moments), as it is about breakthroughs in becoming.

Mastery is an emotional/spiritual gym with an emphasis on healthy communication and issues management.  When you go to an actual gym, it isn’t so much to learn new exercises as it is to consistently do the exercises your trainer gives you. Look at Mastery in the same light. Most of the training happens outside our class, just like most of your training with a physical trainer happens away from your trainer, for example running 5 miles a day, etc.  Mastery includes training on powerful principles, agreements, and tools. But the real training happens in real life, as you solidify new ways of being in your most important relationships.

Your experience with Mastery will create a new world for you- a world filled with the joy and success that an open heart creates (in your personal life, and often in every other area of your life). The road is rigorous and the key is to keep going: training, homework, support, real life success in pivotal moments and in high stakes relationships, celebrating your successes, accountability, celebrating and more training.


Mastery and the 9 Agreements
Through the principles and practices of Mastery (i.e. faith & focus, planning, inspirational input etc.) you will gain balance, a sense of accomplishment, spirituality and confidence- all of which which tends to fill and open your heart.  Feeling like I'm on my A-game and in control of my life opens my heart faster than anything (see agreement 5).  

Mastering and creating group support for the “strict in the plain path” of timeless principles is what makes living 9 agreements possible.  In this, the principles and practices of Mastery (including support, accountability, cheer leading and training) are the playing field for the game of the 9 agreements.

Moreover, living the 9 agreements (any one of them) is impossible without the self discipline and spiritual depth gained from your involvement with Mastery itself.


Orientation: Mastery at the level of your willingness and/or intuition
Mastery (your choice to create excellence and change) can be approached at different levels. 

Orientation is your chance to determine how you approaching this next 3 months. Based on your personal intuition (and willingness) you choose what you’re Mastery looks like.

Tip:  A lot of our participants continue from Mastery to Mastery.  This is because Mastery is not a class in and of itself- it is a way of doing everything else (and with amazing benefits).  Because of this, you may want to choose into Mastery at deeper levels each time (or even each month!). Many participants are doing very well to simply show up to the meetings each week (or listen to the recordings from the meetings).

Click here to go to the Orientation

Mastery - Health Jump-start - 11 Week Challenge
We’ve found over time that the most effective and long-lasting methods of improving our outcomes require focused and holistic actions. In order to get a better mental or emotional performance, for example, we must improve our physical condition.  Conversely stated, sometimes the reason we have difficulties in relationships, is due to the effects of the food we eat, our sleep habits, exercise (or lack thereof), etc.

Two Mastery paradigms: How you do one thing is how you do everything and How you do one thing impacts everything else. If you’re not moving forward physically and in your overall health, the chances of moving ahead in your relationships or business are slim. By making a stand for your health (even if it’s just at Level 1  for the next 10 weeks), you will be sending a clear message to your unconscious mind i.e. “My world is changing!  I’m in action!  I’m making major commitments” etc.  

Moreover, in choosing in you begin to experience more energy and focus almost overnight.  What a way to jump start your Mastery.

 

During the days of Elijah there was a major drought and famine in Israel.   Many were perishing. When Elijah was told to visit Zarephath, he encountered in the gates of that city a widow who was gathering sticks.  Elijah asked her if she could get him some water and a little bread.  The widow told Elijah that she had only a handful of grain left and that she was preparing her last loaf for her son and herself.  Elijah told her to prepare the bread but to “make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.” 

The woman was very busy with her panicked life (as we are also), so at first it seemed insane that she would take from the little resources she had (in time and substance) and give the first of it to Elijah.  But she did it. She made the first loaf of break for Elijah.   

She took 10% of her week and devoted it toward Mastery, exercise, planning, meditation, etc. (or as we see in the story, the loaf to Elijah), and afterwards found in her jar- endless grain, and endless oil. “And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail”.

So is it with our life. We attend to the sacred and vital first- we strengthen our core- including getting the oxygen mask on ourself first so that we can assist the person next to us. If we dedicate a certain amount of time every day to sharpening the saw (as Covey put), which includes our spending time with God, exercise, planning etc. our Heavenly Father can and will create more with the time that is left that we ever could on our own.   

"Naaman (the captain of the army of Syria, and also a leper), came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha. And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.  But Naaman was wroth, and went away ….And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said...if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? How much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?  Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean."

Naaman hesitated to submit himself to the simple process offered to him by Elisha.  In fact it offended him, especially since Elisha denied him the respect of at least showing up personally to deal with him.  The Naaman principle says, no matter how counter intuitive or unspectacular a process is, i.e. Mastery journal, inspirational input, breakthrough, daily planning, exercise etc.,  “I will dip myself in these waters- in these small and simple little processes and habits, and I will see the hand of God in my life.”  We are healed by the little things, repeated every day [7 times in the water / 7 days a week].

The Elija Principle + The Naaman Principle —-> A Choice Routine

The Principle of Witness 

 If I’m singing in a room all alone, I can sing pretty good. But with a thousand people watching and paying attention to what I’m doing, my own attention and commitment increases.  

Let me share one more analogy: If I have a private marriage ceremony, with just a judge and maybe my dog and cat, saying “I do” can be an important, life changing commitment.  If, however, my best friends are there, my Mom, my Dad, my Bishop and half the town, you’d better believe that when I say “I do” the power of these words are flowing out into the ears and hearts of my guests and then rolling back right into me, like a sonic boom.  

There is something about witnesses that amplifies and magnifies the power of what we are sharing.  Moreover, the more we share our own important experiences, the more understand them.  The more we share what we get (what we understand), the greater our understanding of it becomes.  The more we share what we love, or what we are grateful for, the more we learn to love it, or are grateful for it.   

Just as important, the more we share with others, what we are choosing, the more we increase our consciousness of our own choice (that we are actually choosing)
 

Mastery Mantra
I build one promise on the other. I build one victory on the other.  I put first things first.  “I expand in abundance, success and love every day as I inspire those around me to do the same.” - Gay Hendricks (The Big Leap)