Trungphan2
Jerry Seinfeld, Ichiro Suzuki and the Pursuit of Mastery
Jerry Seinfeld and Ichiro Suzuki exemplify the pursuit of mastery in their respective fields of comedy and baseball. They emphasize that true skill comes from dedication, practice, and embracing the journey, even during challenging plateaus. Mastery requires enthusiasm, playfulness, and a lifelong commitment to improvement.
“[The reason many adults are unable to learn new skills] is because they have allowed themselves to fall prey to that old archenemy of mastery: excessive goal orientation. (View Highlight)
That brings into play what may be called a cognitive system associated with the Habitual System and an effort system, associated with the hippocampus (situated at the base of the brain). The cognitive and effort systems become subsets of the Habitual System, long enough to modify it and teach it new behaviour. To put it another way, the cognitive and effort systems click into the Habitual System and reprogram it. When the job is done, the systems withdraw. Then you don’t have to stop and think about the right grip every time you shift your racket.” (View Highlight)
Note: relevant to practice and theory for the book
Meditation is effortless exercise…Exercise is great for energy but it takes more effort…Meditation is like if I said to you ‘I'm going to need you to get in a hot tub once a day and just sit there for five minutes’. Could you do that? That's pretty easy. It's pretty easy. Meditation is even easier than that. [It helps you] double the amount of energy that you have to accomplish what you want to accomplish. […] If you ask me my three keys to a successful life…[it is] transcendental meditation, lift weights [and drink] espresso. Just do those three things and you will kill it.” (View Highlight)