In such a case, the neural pathways dedicated to this skill never get established; what you learn is too tenuous to remain rooted in the brain. Knowing it with clarity, you will find your way to the proper career path and everything else will fall into place.

You started with something difficult and made it easy and pleasurable through instruction and practice. As your thinking grows more fluid your mind will become increasingly dimensional, seeing more and more aspects of reality. But it’s the same with that type of artistic activity as with all others: We are merely born with the capability to do it.

Throughout the book he relates his personal path to the mastery of Aikido to that of all our individual journey’s.

As you accumulate more skills and internalize the rules that govern your field, your mind will want to become more active, seeking to use this knowledge in ways that are more suited to your inclinations. In this new age, those who follow a rigid, singular path in their youth often find themselves in a career dead end in their forties, or overwhelmed with boredom.Accessing this level of thinking on a more regular basis, they can fuse it even more deeply with their rational forms of thinking.

Opening: “After your formal education, you enter the most critical phase in your life— a second, practical education known as The Apprenticeship. We find the excuse of “not having time” or fall into the trap of just wanting the acknowledgement of doing something new rather than really DOING IT! Be honest with yourself about what these flaws might be, looking back at conflicts you’ve had and how your actions may have caused them. The wide-ranging apprenticeship of your twenties will yield the opposite— expanding possibilities as you get older.The popularity of these books along with their vast and fiercely loyal audience proves these are profound, timeless lessons from historical leaders that still ring true in today's culture. This process of hardwiring cannot occur if you are constantly distracted, moving from one task to another.

The most important aspect of the mainstream image we are being exposed to, is to understand where it's coming from. Volumes of text may not have any influence on a person and a single phrase might be enough to change destinies. What will impede this natural creative dynamic from flourishing is not a lack of talent, but your attitude. George Leonard's Mastery is a one of the most insightful and practical books which can show you how can you become a master of any field that you choose.Reading this book at this particular time felt like a drink of cold water in the desert for I have been thirsting after a practice that I could master.