The modified transcript below builds upon the book Greene, Robert. (2013). Mastery. Penguin., specifically a short video interview, as well as Pink, Daniel H. (2008). The adventures of Johnny Bunko: the last career guide you’ll ever need. Penguin. Image by Kathleen Johnston.
Your vocation
What will see you through in the inevitable hardships of your career is not a surface level passion but the sense of deep connection to what you’re meant to accomplish, to a sense of destiny in life. Mastering a profession requires discipline and hard work. If all that is fueling you is your passion you’re never going to be able to have the energy and the patience to go through a lot of the monotony that is involved in building anything successful (Greene, 2013).
Your vocation often reveals itself when you are young
You have a life’s task, a vocation or calling that is an innate part of ‘You’. Depending on your beliefs, ‘You’ can be defined as a spiritual mission or as the core survival mechanism of the organism that your are. However you look at it, it is something that resonates deep within you. It reveals itself when you’re a child by things you were drawn to and then it becomes clearer as you get older. Perhaps you want to solve technical problems. Or you want to help people perform better. Or express yourself via bodily movements, e.g. in the form of dance (Greene, 2013).
Motivation trumps talent
Talent is important, but the world is littered with talented people who didn’t persist, who didn’t put in the hours, who gave up too early, who thought they could ride on talent alone. Meanwhile, people who might have less talent pass them by. That’s why intrinsic motivation is so important. Doing things not to get an external reward like money or a promotion, but because you simply like doing it. The more intrinsic motivation you have, the more likely you are to persist. The more you persist, the more likely you are to succeed (Pink 2008).
Monotony leads to mastery
Mastery requires years of dedication and patience. You develop your talents through training: formal education, apprenticeship, independent study and reflection, daily practice, or whatever makes sense to you. However, during such a learning process the monotony likely makes place for an upward spiral in insights. Once baseline knowledge is established, it can be thrilling to learn more about the finer details. The world of your profession expands as you continue to discover new things in your field. This makes the process of learning over long stretches of time all worthwhile (Greene, 2013).
Go to article 1.3 ‘You’ve got to find what you love‘.