If you want to master something give your brain a blueprint
Everyone will tell you that consistency is the key to mastery, but what they won’t is more important. A blueprint.
Do you know where a blueprint is used?
“A blueprint is a guide for making something.”
Something you would need to refer to if you want to make a perfect product. It would contain the exact roadmap or a sample sketch that would tell you how your finished product would look.
Let’s take an example. You want to build a house. Now, you can’t just randomly tell the construction workers to lay down bricks and build a house.
You would need to tell the engineer about how your house should look and what are elements that your house needs to contain. Based on your instructions, a blueprint will be made.
Similarly, before mastering something, your brain needs to know the level of mastery you want to achieve and like whom?
A role model(living or nonliving) would be needed that from here on I will call a blueprint.
Setting up a role model/ blueprint
Suppose you want to achieve mastery in your drawing. For that, you need a role model, in other words, an ideal.
Your brain would try to mimic this role model in some indirect ways and your painting will start getting as perfect as the person you set as your blueprint.
And if you are more consistent and have a knack for what you are doing, you will get more perfect. This is not exactly mimicking, but a way your brain works.
Moreover, this blueprint will direct the process of attaining mastery.
So the only thing left with you is the execution of the steps needed to attain mastery as you already know what you are aiming to achieve.
Why do you need a role model?
To understand this, study the two sentences below.
Which one would you ideally use to give directions to someone who wants to reach the airport from a nearby cafe?
Statement 1: Go straight and take left. You will find the airport after two miles.
Statement 2: From the bank, go straight ahead and take the first left. From there, go two miles ahead. The airport is on the left.
Both the statements have major differences. The first one is vague and confusing while the second statement is precise and tells the exact directions.
So you will obviously choose the first one.
The vague ideas will end up confusing you while clear and concise visualization will get you to your destination. You got the point.
Is your brain a thief?
Since childhood, you had been living with a brain that knows how to mimic and learn something. It observes, records, and finally reflects on you what you have learned.
Many acts like speaking, singing, and even walking have been learned by imitation.
Have you ever wondered about a thing( a style, action, or idea) in this world that is purely unique?
When we talk about a unique idea, we forget that the root of the idea has been taken from other great ideas, and what is presented as unique is an improvision.
Considering that an idea that came to your mind now has already occurred to many others, nothing in this world is unique.
How does setting unrealistic expectations hinder the process of mastery?
A goal that's too difficult to achieve with the level of experience you have will increase your chances of failure.
Learn to set realistic expectations and blueprints. Improve your standards only when you know you have achieved what you had desired.
Conclusion
In this article, I explained the importance of setting up a blueprint or a role model to attain mastery of something. I also explained how setting up unrealistic expectations can slow down your process of sharpening your skill.
