Should we Strive for Mastery?

Mandi Nelson Photography

They say that it takes 10,000 hours to master something.  I've always had a desire to master a lot of things - ballet, photography, blogging, yoga, hunter/jumping, archery, among the few.  Obviously it would be impossible to master all of those things.  What about you?  I can't imagine there has ever been a person that hasn't aspired to reach their full potential at the things that they love.

If it only takes 10,000 hours of practice to master something, we would need to spend 5 hours practicing daily for 5 years.  In the grand scheme of things that's not that much.  (On a positive note, we definitely are masters of sleep.  However, could that be the only thing?)

Why then, do we not follow through?  Why do only a few become masters at what they have fallen in love with?

Dan is a pretty normal guy like you and I, he lives in Portland Oregon.  He's decided to master the art of Golfing, and this is what he has to say about it:

"Anything you could do limits other things you could potentially do,” he says. “As long as you’re doing what you want and you’re happy and healthy, you’re on the right path.’"

But wait a second - are most of us living day to day happy and healthily?  When I look around at my peers and people walking on the streets, it's hard to believe that most of us are.  Maybe that's where the problem of most of us not mastering anything - we are focused too hard on the things that don't make us happy or healthy, rather than truly reaching for the things that really inspire us.

What are your thoughts? 

Read more about this on Chris Guillebeau's blog.