“Don’t think about why you question, simply don’t stop questioning. Don’t worry about what you can’t answer, and don’t try to explain what you can’t know. Curiosity is its own reason. Aren’t you in awe when you contemplate the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure behind reality? And this is the miracle of the human mind – to use its constructions, concepts, and formulas as tools to explain what man sees, feels and touches. Try to comprehend a little more each day. Have holy curiosity” advised Albert Einstein.
Does a gothic middle age style apprenticeship of five to seven years fit in this time of ‘instant answers’ artificial intelligence? In the game of business, we tend to think we can just leapfrog ahead, avoiding the tedium and boredom of mastering the basics.
The "10,000 hour rule" popularized by Canadian writer, Malcolm Gladwell in his book Outliers suggests that dedicating 10,000 hours to a specific skill through deliberate practice can lead to mastery. [10,000 hours of daily practice comes out to five years plus.]
Robert Greene invested three years of time in researching and writing his book Mastery. It’s as much about ‘learning how to learn’ as it is about the journey of the historical and contemporary masters he draws lessons from.
In a Machiavellian like way, the ultimate power of the prince is mastery. First find your calling, second, do an apprenticeship with a teacher, a mentor, three absorb and apply the skills and knowledge. And lastly, mastery -- go on to surpass the mentor, perhaps creating new ways of thinking, doing things.
Why does Y Combinator succeed?
“Make something people want.” This is the message of Y Combinator, the American technology startup accelerator and venture capital firm launched in March 2005 -- used to launch more than 5,000 companies -- with a collective valuation of $600 billion -- some of which, you know the names of.
One of the main founders is Paul Graham who himself went through a long apprenticeship, with the Y Combinator design following an apprentice model.
Look for new applications of existing technology, listen to customers, focus on needs - problems not being met, keep ideas simple and practical, create a superior product too good to ignore, be tenacious with a fluid mind – these are basics Y Combinator instils in those going through their apprenticeship.
Mastering the basics can be boring
“After your formal education, you enter the most critical phase in your life - a second, practical education known as ‘the apprenticeship’. Every time you change careers or acquire new skills, you reenter this phase of life. The dangers are many. If you are not careful, you will succumb to insecurities, become embroiled in emotional issues and conflicts that will dominate your thoughts; you will develop fears and learning disabilities that you will carry with you throughout your life.
"Before it is too late you must learn the lessons and follow the path established by the greatest masters, past and present – a kind of ideal apprenticeship that transcends all fields. In the process you will master the necessary skills, discipline your mind, and transform yourself into an independent thinker, prepared for the creative challenges on the way to mastery” writes Greene.
Helps to keep things simple. “First, it is essential that you begin with one skill that you can master, and that serves as foundation for acquiring others. You must avoid at all cost the idea that you can manage learning several skills at a time. You need to develop your powers of concentration and understand that trying to multitask will be the death of the process,” notes Greene.
Unfortunately, no pain, no gain. Just scrolling through your phone, waiting for the next hit of pleasurable dopamine won’t help.
“Second, the initial stages of learning a skill invariably involve tedium. Yet rather than avoiding this inevitable tedium, you must accept and embrace it. The pain and boredom we experience in the initial stage of learning a skill toughens our minds, much like physical exercise. Too many people believe that everything must be pleasurable in life, which makes them constantly search for distractions and short-circuits the learning process.”
Embrace the pain
“The pain is a kind of challenge your mind presents --- will you learn how to focus and move past the boredom, or like a child will you succumb to the need for immediate pleasure and distraction? Much as with physical exercise, you can even get a kind of perverse pleasure out of this pain, knowing the benefits it will bring you. In any event, you must meet any boredom head-on and not try to avoid or repress it. Throughout your life you will encounter tedious situations, and you must cultivate the ability to handle them with discipline,” counsels Greene.
Putting in the often-tiresome preparation allows for positioning – with the chance to be fortunate. “Luck favours the prepared mind” was the thought of the master, Louis Pasteur, credited with the germ theory of disease. And the reason your milk is pasteurised.
