58 Ways to Mastery in Everyday Life

Do you want to master something in your life? I mean, do you want to do something so well that you could do it in your sleep?

This doesn't mean that you have to be the best in the world, but at least the best you could ever be.

It's in the human nature to want to grow. To want to expand. To want to master something.

It doesn't matter if we are talking about playing baseball or simply how to wash the dishes as fast as possible. It could be anything – write, swim, sell, be a mother, be a father, make PowerPoints, juggle, ski, be a loving partner or it could even be to become an expert in your field of study.

Whatever skill you want to master, there are actions you can take to get there. Real actions. Every day. And with this in mind I would like to present my 58 ways that will help you master any skill out there.

I'm not saying that you should try them all, but as you read on you can probably find a few that inspire you and provide a fresh perspective. That's the point of this entire list, to give you some new ideas for how to move forward.

58 Ways to Mastery 

1. Adapt – If your surroundings change, don't hold on to the past. “Move with the cheese” and do the best of the new situation.

2. Ask – Be curious. All the time. Ask and keep asking until you understand how it's really done and how it truly works.

3. Avoid – Stay away from the so called dream stealers. Don't let the negativity and lack of dreams from other people drag you down.

4. Believe – Trust your own capabilities and believe in yourself. If a thing is humanly possible, consider it to be within your reach.

5. Balance – No one can practice 24 hours a day. And even if we could, it would probably make us go crazy. So make sure you don't neglect your family, friends and other things in your life.

6. Blog – Perhaps you can start to share everything you learn right now. For that, there's no better way than to start a blog. See it as a record of your progress and as a way to push you forward.

7. Brag – Whenever you lose motivation or urgency, start bragging. By saying you already know how to do something, you surely put the pressure back on yourself to live up to your words. Now you have to learn.

8. Break – Get some rest when you've pushed yourself too hard. As my professor said “it's during the breaks that my students really learn”.

9. Breathe – Are you feeling angry? Stressed out? Frustrated? Then stop, and breathe. Fill your lungs and bring yourself back to the moment. Only from a calm and controlled state can you take meaningful action.

10. Celebrate – Did something great? Then celebrate! Be happy and reward yourself for every little progress. If you don't, what's the point of improving?

11. Continue – Keep going when things get tough and persevere through thick and thin. Be flexible, but don't give up.

12. Create – Whatever you want to master, there’s always a way to create your own thing. Create a course, a website, a new form or anything that will get you thinking about the structure of the topic.

13. Decide – Commit 100% and really go for it. Hoping it will work out is not enough; you have to decide in your heart that this is what is going to happen. THIS is the way forward.

14. Design – Craft your own future. Sit down and sketch out a clear and inspiring goal for where you want to go. Then outline the path from here to there.

15. Discuss – Even if you think you really got it, take in other people's arguments and discuss what the best way really is.

16. Enjoy – It's all about the journey and not the end goal. Keep that in mind and enjoy every single day of following your dreams.

17. Feel – How does your body feel when you practice? Are you in a good state for maximum performance? Be in touch with your body and begin to notice how it feels when you’re “in the zone”.

18. Fight – Stand up for what you want to achieve and be strong whenever you face trouble. You got to fight for your right to excel.

19. Focus – Be in the moment. Forget about everything else and don't let anything distract you. When you practice, you practice fully.

20. Identify – When something's not working, get curious. Go deep and find the root cause of your problem. It's the only way for a long-term solution.

21. Imagine – Have faith and picture yourself succeeding. How would it look like to truly master this? Can you see it?

22. Imitate – How does the current masters do it? How do they work? How do they walk, talk and live? Model successful people and you will see amazing results.

23. Inform – Spread the word to your friends and family. The more people that know about what you want to master or what you want to achieve, the more people will help you get there.

24. Integrate – Make sure you and what you do are one and the same. Stay congruent and let it all be part of your life, not just something that you “do”.

25. Invent – A field of study or a skill can always be improved, so don't be afraid of thinking in new ways. You might just contribute to the development of the skill or field.

26. Investigate – When you get stuck, don't stop and ponder. Instead, use all your powers to find out the real answer. How does it r-e-a-l-l-y work?

27. Join – You're not alone. Join a group, a class or an organization and learn from those striving towards the same goal. Your collective power will bring you all forward much faster.

28. Listen – When you find someone who really knows what they are talking about, just listen. Don't interrupt, just listen.

29. Live – This is life. Laugh, enjoy and don't take it too seriously. There’s always room for improvement.

30. Locate – Find the best people in the field. How do they do it? What did they have to overcome? Watch, learn, and practice.

31. Love – Always keep the passion for what you're doing and never get caught up in minor problems. As long as the love remains, you will succeed.

32. Modify – Be flexible. Don't get stuck in old patterns. If you see something's being done better, modify yourself and try it. Be like water and be prepared to take on any shape or form.

33. Offer – Be helpful to others and you will get it back in numerous ways. Coach them, review their work, or simply run their errands. It will all come back to you when you really need it.

34. Organize – Be structured and organize everything you've learnt so far. Draw a mind map, sort your papers or just plan your day. Structure and clarity helps you focus on the task at hand instead of getting side-tracked.

35. Perfect – Never stop until it's perfect. Every little detail or part must be completely understood for maximum benefit.

36. Plunge – Don't be afraid. There's no failure, only feedback so throw yourself head first and just see where it takes you.

37. Practice – No one can learn how to ride a bike from reading a book. It always requires practice, practice, practice. So stop thinking about it and just do it.

38. Prioritize – Are you spending time on what is most important to you? Make sure you are productive, not just keeping busy.

39. Question – Is this the only way to do it? Don't take old truths for granted, question them and you will soon understand why they are there in the first place.

40. Read – Keep expanding your mind through new information and new insights. You become what you read.

41. Reduce – Get rid of everything that isn't helping you to move forward. Time-stealers, focus-stealers and distractions must all be removed.

42. Reflect – Take the time to think through what you did well and what you can improve for next time. It's worth it.

43. Reinforce – Never forget the basics and reinforce good performance so it will always stay with you.

44. Repeat – Repetition is the mother of all skill. Your mind forgets fast so keep it all alive through constant reviews.

45. Risk – No risk, no reward. We all wish we could hold on to something safe in the moment of truth. But this is no video game, there's no save button in life so be prepared to take chances for maximum results.

46. Seize – Capture every opportunity to grow and get closer to your goal. It's all about being open and noticing those small opportunities that pass us every day.

47. Sleep – Both your body and mind has to be fresh and energetic if you want to improve. So never forget to rest. Sleep will enable you to perform.

48. Smile – Smiling will tell your brain you're having fun. We all know we're better learners when we're having fun.

49. Stretch – You have to get out of your comfort zone and stretch yourself to reach the next level. It's the only way.

50. Study – Go to school and take a course if possible. Simply, use the fact that many others have spent a great deal of time to create material that might suit you perfectly.

51. Target – Be clear in your mind with what you really want to achieve. Both long-term and short-term. Is it actionable, tangible, and motivating?

52. Teach – After you've learned something new, teach others. It will immediately reveal what you are not 100% certain of.

53. Try – You have to try it in reality as early as possible. E.g. learning a language just from a book will never work, so get out there and try!

54. Use – In whatever situation you find yourself, ask “is there a way I can apply this skill right here, right now?”

55. Verify – Is this the way to do it? Get clarity and your certainty of success will continue to grow.

56. View – Try to see the big picture of what you're trying to achieve. Open up your view and see it all.

57. Write – Writing will force your mind to create structure and meaning in what you learn. Once you progress, start writing your own book.

58. Master – Act like a master. Talk like a master. See the world like a master. The sooner you start to live the life you want, the sooner it will become your reality.

Now I know that you are wondering how these can applied in your own life. That's a good thing. It means that you have found a couple of actions that you can take immediately.

I am not saying it's going to be easy to just apply these, but within a few days I'm sure that you will see areas where you will be able to move forward. So keep learning and you will master your skill.
Your Turn! 

Now I'm really curious to know what you think about these.
-Which ones do you like the most?
-What more suggestions do you have for mastery in everyday life?
-What do you want to master?

Please share your thoughts in the comments. And don’t forget to Share and Tweet this post if you found value in it!

About Me: Matthew M. McEwan is the creator and author of Early-Riser.com. His blog is loaded with tips, tricks and strategies for how to sleep well, wake up early, and have an awesome morning. He loves personal development, communication mastery and language study.

Photo Credit: LEOL30