In the book Drive, Pink talks about three laws of mastery.

Mastery is a mindset: people can hold two types of views of their own intelligence. A group that thinks it cannot grow (intelligence is something you have) and another group that thinks it can (intelligence is something you grow, like a muscle). The latter one gives the best results, because these people push themselves and try more solutions to complex problems.

Mastery is a pain: the path to mastery (becoming better at something you care about) won’t be easy and is often really boring. In a three year study about Olympic swimmers, Chambliss found that those who did the best typically spent the most time and effort on the mundane activities that readied them for races. Julius Erving: “Being a professional is doing the things you love to do, on the days you don’t feel like doing them.”

Mastery is an asymptote: you will never reach the destination. This can be a source of frustration. Why reach for something you can never fully achieve? However, this can also be a motivation: why not reach for it? The joy is in the pursuit more than the realization.

Great book.

What kind of mindset do you have?