One key factor in self-improvement is to have self-awareness of surrounding ordinariness and being able to rise above this state by focusing all your pride, skills and professionalism into the work at hand.
Mastery in one's career and consciousness growth simply requires that we constantly produce results beyond and out of the ordinary. Mastery is a product of consistently going beyond our limits. For most people,
it starts with technical excellence in a chosen field and a commitment to that excellence. If you are willing to commit yourself to excellence, to surround yourself with things that represent this and miracles (when we speak of miracles, we speak of events or experiences in the real world which are beyond the ordinary), your life will change.
It is remarkable how much mediocrity we live with, surrounding ourselves with daily reminders that the average is acceptable. Our world suffers from terminal normality. Take a moment to assess all of the things around you that promote you being 'average'. These are the things that keep you powerless to go beyond a 'limit' you arbitrarily set for yourself. The first step to Mastery is the removal of everything in your environment that represents mediocrity, removing those things that are limiting. One way is to surround yourself with friends who ask more of you than you do, e.g. your teachers, coaches, parents etc.
The Master does his work in a secret way that is different from the masses. He does not treat it as a chore or routine. That secret way lies in the art of communicating with your work. Let your work speak to you as much as you work on it.
What makes an outstanding carpenter? He lets the wood speak to him as much as he works on it with his hammer.
What makes an outstanding basketball or soccer player? He lets the net speak to him as much as he looks and aims towards it.
What makes an outstanding Internet Marketer? He let his sales copy, newsletter, screen, keyboard, etc. speak to him as much as he does the best work he can.
Thus the Master steps up his thoughts and actions by being courageous in knowing he had to do something for a cause, as much as his capabilities are demanded by fellow beings. It is not just an urgent feeling; it is an act that gives a tremendous sense of purpose when Life has found its greatest calling. By virtue of making more critical decisions, he does less yet impacts more, while the underlying passion drives ceaselessly by telling him to stay on the course for an appointment with Destiny.
Another step on the path of Mastery is the removal of resentment towards Masters. Develop compassion for yourself so that you can be in the presence of Masters and grow from the experience. Rather than comparing yourself or resenting people who have Mastery, remain open and receptive, let the experience be like the planting of a seed within you that, with nourishment, will grow into your own individual Master. Putting it another way, the wisdom of a Master is like light coursing through his body, making it whole and full of light. Any hints of resentment and baggage are covered under the gleam of the eye.
You see, we are all ordinary. But a Master, rather than condemning himself for his 'ordinariness', will embrace it and use it as a foundation for building the extraordinary. Rather than using it as an excuse for inactivity, he will use it as a vehicle for correcting which is essential in the process of attaining Mastery. You must be able to correct yourself without invalidating or condemning yourself, to accept results and improve on them. Correct, don't protect. Correction is essential to power and Mastery.
