John -- I love this post, not just for its content (which is great) but also because I too was inspired by George Leonard's 1992 article, and then the resulting book. In fact, I have a hilarious story about meeting him at a writer's party a few years after the book came out, going nuts over his book, and then explaining why to all the other writers standing in the kitchen with us. Leonard was not only a great writer but also a great guy, who I sorely miss.
Keep up the good work. And when you have a moment, please check out the podcast I produce in my multimedia magazine (Craftsmanship) called "The Secrets of Mastery."
This is a brilliant post; I can’t even fathom how long it must have taken you to research, write and edit it, but thank you. However, I think you’ve got the concept of homeostasis wrong; this isn’t like a fixed set point, like the water in a bathtub. If you jump into the tub, the water line is disturbed. Biological homeostasis is closer to harmony, in that there are a multitude of variables all interacting at any given time, and the organism requires a certain chord to be played, at a certain cadence, to play just right. Syncopation is desired in that ecosystem, not shunned.
Just stumbled on this post and really loved these brilliant nuggets. Thank you for summarizing the book so well. The section on loving the plateau was particularly fascinating. I'm going to be thinking about this for a while. “While goals are important, the real rewards in life can be found in the process, of how it feels to be alive, but we are never taught how to enjoy the plateau — so many of us indulge in self-destructive behaviours to escape it.” and "To love the plateau is to love the eternal now."
I appreciate your thorough and detailed notes from the book summarized in your own words. I’m reading the book now, so it’s fun and helpful to re-read what I’ve read and discover what is ahead. Thank you for posting these.
This was a terrific summary John, thank you. It was inspiring, but in a nutrient-dense, whole food, broccoli sort of way :) I especially appreciated the finishing story of the judo master’s dying wish to be buried in his white belt. Just perfect.
It's hard to get Leonard's book over here in Prague, John, so this is a great overview. Thanks! A lot of your summary chimes with other books I've read on mastery, including Josh Waitzkin's Art of Learning, those writing for musicians such as Barry Green, Gerald Klickstein, Stephen Nachmanovitch, and chess authors such as Jeremy Silman and Jonathan Rowson. It's a rich field.
John -- I love this post, not just for its content (which is great) but also because I too was inspired by George Leonard's 1992 article, and then the resulting book. In fact, I have a hilarious story about meeting him at a writer's party a few years after the book came out, going nuts over his book, and then explaining why to all the other writers standing in the kitchen with us. Leonard was not only a great writer but also a great guy, who I sorely miss.
Keep up the good work. And when you have a moment, please check out the podcast I produce in my multimedia magazine (Craftsmanship) called "The Secrets of Mastery."
This is a brilliant post; I can’t even fathom how long it must have taken you to research, write and edit it, but thank you. However, I think you’ve got the concept of homeostasis wrong; this isn’t like a fixed set point, like the water in a bathtub. If you jump into the tub, the water line is disturbed. Biological homeostasis is closer to harmony, in that there are a multitude of variables all interacting at any given time, and the organism requires a certain chord to be played, at a certain cadence, to play just right. Syncopation is desired in that ecosystem, not shunned.
Just stumbled on this post and really loved these brilliant nuggets. Thank you for summarizing the book so well. The section on loving the plateau was particularly fascinating. I'm going to be thinking about this for a while. “While goals are important, the real rewards in life can be found in the process, of how it feels to be alive, but we are never taught how to enjoy the plateau — so many of us indulge in self-destructive behaviours to escape it.” and "To love the plateau is to love the eternal now."
I appreciate your thorough and detailed notes from the book summarized in your own words. I’m reading the book now, so it’s fun and helpful to re-read what I’ve read and discover what is ahead. Thank you for posting these.
This was a terrific summary John, thank you. It was inspiring, but in a nutrient-dense, whole food, broccoli sort of way :) I especially appreciated the finishing story of the judo master’s dying wish to be buried in his white belt. Just perfect.
It's hard to get Leonard's book over here in Prague, John, so this is a great overview. Thanks! A lot of your summary chimes with other books I've read on mastery, including Josh Waitzkin's Art of Learning, those writing for musicians such as Barry Green, Gerald Klickstein, Stephen Nachmanovitch, and chess authors such as Jeremy Silman and Jonathan Rowson. It's a rich field.
I very much appreciate this summary. Thank you.