Why You’ll Never Get There (A Story About Mastery)

Back before I discovered the wonderful world of personal development, I had no idea how much amazing content was out there to help me live a better life.

Needless to say, it was a total eye-opener when I started discovering some of these resources. It was like stumbling upon a whole new world (which I’m now a part of!).

In fact, someone else said something similar to me on a coaching call recently (mentioning that my podcast was the thing that exposed them to all these other big names in self-help).

The thing is, we don’t know what we don’t know, so unless we are exposed to something different from our typical environment, we’ll never know what’s truly out there.

However, once we start immersing ourselves in this world, there’s another realization that pops up: the fact that we’ll never truly be done. There will always be something else we can refine/improve/work on, like a horizon that’s always moving as we do.

I say this not in a daunting, defeatist kind of way, but rather from a place of child-like wonder seen in kids when visiting a new theme park or toy store, knowing that there’s a pleasant surprise waiting around every corner.

In other words, the point is not to remain idle out of thinking we’ll never reach our goals, but to keep growing and becoming all we’re capable of being while acknowledging and being grateful for how far we’ve already come. 

If I think back to the work I was doing on myself a year or two ago versus the quality and contents of my consciousness now, it’s almost laughable.

But that’s the journey we call personal development. It’s a place to come from, not a place to get to.

I want to leave you with a story I came across recently which sums this idea up perfectly.

If you think of mastery, the image that comes to mind for a lot of people is that of a black belt achieved by those who have reached a high level in martial arts. But after a long time, the black belt starts to get old. In the beginning, it might fade a little. Then one of the corners might start fraying. And eventually, the black cover begins to peel away. Once it does, any guesses what’s left underneath? Yup, a white belt.

The moral of the story is that even when you think you’ve reached mastery level, your journey is, once again, only just beginning.

Buckle up for the ride, acknowledge how far you’ve already come and then enjoy the process of being a beginner again.