Launched! The Systematic Mastery Podcast
Everyone can attain mastery.
That is the premise of the systematic mastery project.
How do we believe this can be done?
By using a systematic approach.
The goal is to find the tools, practices, and principles that - when applied systematically - allow anyone to attain mastery in life.
Why mastery?
Humans have an extraordinary capability to consciously experience meaning. It's often described as a feeling of belonging, intimacy, or growth. It can be the moment of full immersion you get when giving it your all during a run or workout when reading something that truly inspires you, or while being together with loving family and friends.
However, that's not all life is filled with. In between these moments, life gives us challenges. And in any case, all of us will have to face them in our own way.
I find myself pondering over this recurring theme in life:
To experience meaning, is to care about something and seeing it fulfilled. While at the same time, as long as we care about something, we will face hardship by seeing it unfulfilled.
Because nothing in life is permanent, we generally find ourselves in either of those states. And that's good. Only experiencing only one of them all the time, would make life a rather meaningless experience, I think.
Our unique responsibility
There is an inspiring way to approach this fact of life. And I couldn't put it better than Viktor Frankl, the writer of Man's Search for Meaning:
Ultimately, man should not ask what the meaning of his life is, but rather he must recognize that it is he who is asked. In a word, each man is questioned by life; and he can only answer to life by answering for his own life; to life he can only respond by being responsible. Thus, logotherapy sees in responsibleness the very essence of human existence.
The act of taking responsibility. Isn't that quite a meaningful experience? Taking responsibility for our own lives, whatever this means.
We have something unique to bring to the table by taking this responsibility. Something good. Something meaningful.
This is where mastery comes in.
Systematic Mastery
Mastery is the everyday devotion to a life well lived, by finding meaning in the art of living itself. Life isn't meant to be easy, but it's possible to live well.
And this is where the systematic approach comes in.
We, as individuals, together with our fellow humans, are the system.
We can tweak ourselves in a meaningful way, by making small and incremental changes every day.
As history has shown us, we ourselves, are systems with immense growth potential. Our very nature is to want to live. Our bodies and instincts have developed to fill us with an unwavering need to live, feel belonging, and experience safety.
By seeing ourselves as the constantly changing systems we really are, we can start treating improving ourselves as our way to find meaning.
You are the only truly constant factor in all good and bad experiences in your life. So what if you did it slightly better next time?
Not in a grand and complicated way. Not at all! In fact, a very simple one.
By asking ourselves every day What is one thing in my control to change? And what is not? and then taking the first step to make that change.
Every small step counts. Also when it's a step forward, after a big leap backward. The size of the steps can gradually increase over time.
To find the small daily change we can make, and make this change in a meaningful way, in order to reach our full potential as we pass through life.
That is Systematic Mastery.
"The unexamined life is not worth living." - Socrates
Episodes
The first three episodes are live. I'd be thrilled to get your honest opinion and thoughts.