Rating: 
Summary: Mastery: A Goalless Journey with Interim Goals
Review: According to Mr. Leonard, there are two dimensions to mastery. One is where the practice or journey of mastery in a given area is satisfying as an end in itself (hence, ultimately "goalless"). The other is where practice is a means to the achievement of progressively higher goals or levels of skill. The first dimension is essential to enduring those relatively long plateaus of process without any apparent progress which stretch in between those climactic and conscious spurts of achievement. Enjoying the practice itself gives one the patience necessary to endure the plateaus which nonetheless have the important role of making one's regular practice or routine second-nature. So, one is still progressing during the seemingly "stagnant" plateaus, but at a subconscious level. Those who seek mastery in a given area for superficial reasons or expect perpetually conscious progress will be easily and quickly discouraged and stop practicing. Both the "Dabbler" and the "Excessive" fall into this category. The "Hacker," on the other hand, likes the plateau. This person is happy with just surviving rather than thriving on the edge. S/he is content with mediocrity rather than growth, is satisfied with a limited mastery of a few things instead of increasing his or her mastery by stepping out of one's comfort zones and those of others (which sometimes express themselves in homeostasis that resists change, bad... or good). As one becomes more skilled in one's chosen field(s) of expertise (eventually becoming an esteemed "black belt"), Mr. Leonard emphasizes that one should always maintain the humble mind-set of a beginner (a "white belt" or "fool") that recognizes there is much still to learn not only in one's major field but also in all those other areas (and relationships) of one's life this side of death. Therefore, one must surrender to one's teacher(s) and the demands of one's discipline(s) just as one surrenders (a type of metaphysical "death," samurai style, that conquers fear) one's hard-earned proficiency occasionally in order to reach higher levels of proficiency (symbolic of "life"). True wisdom is in humility where life progresses through death.Integral to the two dimensions of mastery mentioned above are the internal and external, metaphysical (mental, emotional, spiritual) and physical, dimensions which must be kept in balance, and Mr. Leonard provides various keys and tools for doing just that. Although he is far from exhaustive in his exposition on what it means to be "successful," he does provide some valuable insights on the key principles of mastery underlying true success that are rarely found in a lot of popular success literature. This is an important contribution.
Rating: 
Summary: Reclaim The Lost Hours of Your Life
Review: Are you one of those people who allows your goal or goals to dominate your life? And once your goals are achieved, do you think of your achievements as, "no big deal?" While the author describes 5 keys to long-term success and fulfillment,as:
1. Instruction;
2. Practice;
3. Surrender;
4. Intentionality; and,
5. The Edge - Push the envelop. Mastery is:
1. The process where what was difficult becomes both easier and
more pleasurable;
2. Long-term dedication to the journey - not the bottom line;
3. Gaining mental discipline to travel further on your journey;
4. Being goalless;
5. Realizing that the pleasure of practice is intensified;
6. Creating deep roots;
7. Knowing that you will never reach a final destination;
8. Being diligent with the process of mastery;
9. Your commitment to hone your skills;
10. After you have reached the top of the mountain, climb
another one;
11. Being willing to practice, even when you seem to be getting
no where;
12. Making this a life process;
13. Being patient, while you apply long-term efforts;
14. Appreciating and even enjoying the plateau, as much as you do
the progress;
15. Practicing for the sake of practice;
16. Winning graciously, and lose with equal grace;
17. Placing practice, discipline, conditioning and character
development before winning;
18. Being courageous;
19. Being fully in the present moment;
20. Realizing that the ultimate goal is not the medal, or the
ribbon, but the path to mastery its self;
21. Being willing to look foolish;
22. Maintaining flexibility in your strategy, and in your
actions; and,
23. A journey. Apply this to everything in your life, to claim your authentic self.
Rating:
Summary: Reclaim The Lost Hours of Your Life
Review: Are you one of those people who allows your goal or goals to dominate your life? And once your goals are achieved, do you think of your achievements as, "no big deal?" While the author describes 5 keys to long-term success and fulfillment,as:
1. Instruction;
2. Practice;
3. Surrender;
4. Intentionality; and,
5. The Edge - Push the envelop. Mastery is:
1. The process where what was difficult becomes both easier and
more pleasurable;
2. Long-term dedication to the journey - not the bottom line;
3. Gaining mental discipline to travel further on your journey;
4. Being goalless;
5. Realizing that the pleasure of practice is intensified;
6. Creating deep roots;
7. Knowing that you will never reach a final destination;
8. Being diligent with the process of mastery;
9. Your commitment to hone your skills;
10. After you have reached the top of the mountain, climb
another one;
11. Being willing to practice, even when you seem to be getting
no where;
12. Making this a life process;
13. Being patient, while you apply long-term efforts;
14. Appreciating and even enjoying the plateau, as much as you do
the progress;
15. Practicing for the sake of practice;
16. Winning graciously, and lose with equal grace;
17. Placing practice, discipline, conditioning and character
development before winning;
18. Being courageous;
19. Being fully in the present moment;
20. Realizing that the ultimate goal is not the medal, or the
ribbon, but the path to mastery its self;
21. Being willing to look foolish;
22. Maintaining flexibility in your strategy, and in your
actions; and,
23. A journey. Apply this to everything in your life, to claim your authentic self.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoy the Plateau
Review: George Leonard provides an excellent account of the requirements necessary to master any undertaking. He stresses that there should not be a focus on short term progress and that to become a true master, one must accept the periods where improvement seems non-existant. A very insightful book, great for readers of any age.
Rating:
Summary: Keep your ears open and hear the world hate Mastery!
Review: I found out about this book when I read Chess Life Magazine's 1998 interview with Maurice Ashley, the first African American Chess Grandmaster. He mentioned how he found this book extremely helpful in his chess development. Keep in mind, though, that this is not at all a Chess book (on second thought, I shouldn't say 'at all' because this book actually address all things). Ashley mentioned Leonard's statement about the importance of "staying on the path."
This book explains how to get better at things you wish to improve. If you stop and think about your status in your favorite hobby or activity you are sure to hear your friends in that same activity mention how good they are, but when it comes to improving and gaining mastery, the Men are then separated from the boys. As for me, I have always intrinsically realized that you must continue practicing incessantly, despite your many failures and shortcomings. Leonard addresses the issue of how achieving the improvement you seek happens physiologically as well as "mentally."
Over the past seven years, I have heard my chess buddies say thinks like, "I don't see what good reading all those chess books does for you if I can still beat you!" The good news is I hear that one a lot less nowadays. Just yesterday after seeing just how many notes I had written in one of my chess books, one of the higher-skilled players in our chess circle said, "Gee, DELL, you should be a grandmaster by now!" So, the impatience from my peers is still there, but at least it has a different tone! Last year, Maurice Ashley himself saw that same book (Extreme Chess [read my review]) and he visibly was overwhelmingly surprised at the multitude of notes I had written in the margins (then he autographed it and my copy of "Mastery"!). In the early part of the book, Leonard talks about why people don't improve at things. I find that this is very important to take note of. Even more importantly, he mentions certain personality types that don't improve because they do things to hinder their own progress. It's very important to be honest with yourself and see if YOU are one of these types. The help to that issue comes in the section on The 5 Master Keys. This section really tells you what you have to do to get that better English on your curve ball in bowling (figuratively speaking, that is). These five keys are a real eye-opener and they will work for anyone who is willing to take hold of them. That impatience from my peers that I mentioned earlier is elaborated on in the following section. It falls in the area of what's called HOMEOSTASIS. That is a very interesting section!
All along even until the end, Leonard is showing the reader how you must stay on the path; Mastery is a journey, not a pill.
I rave about how good this book is, but I'll only give it 4 stars because, in my opinion, it's not in-depth enough to help someone master interpersonal or romantic relationships. This book is not very long and it is very comfortable to read and understand, but people are a complicated subject. In Leonard's defense, he doesn't overly claim that this book will improve a marriage or prevent a divorce, but he does hint at it in a "just- keep-working-at-it, you'll-make-it" type of tone. I do give it full kudos, though, for being a book on developing your abilities and striving for mastery at what you're endeavoring to do instead of being hard on yourself and choosing another hobby or giving up just because you had some difficulty.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty good
Review: I really liked this book. It was informative and educational. It's not a motivational book to pep you up. One problem is that is provides no tangible sources for it's information. Everything he teaches you is based off of his martial arts training. No research was done and the lack of a bibliography is disappointing. He missed out on a lot of information that he could have packed into his book.
I would have given it five stars but at the end he tries to sell you his own system. It's only ten pages long so you can easily skip it. All in all I liked it, its an addition to my collection.
Rating:
Summary: you can now throw out all your other self-help books
Review: Leonard is an Aikido instructor in Northern California, and once contributed an article on fitness and athletics to Esquire magazine which I always wished I had kept. Years later, I came across this book, and was thrilled to find that he was the author of that article. There are few pursuits which would not be enriched by the insights and principles of this little book. Unlike the great majority of self-help books, this one looks like the classics: it stays short, and doesn't lose its point in a plethora of unnecessary case studies, examples, and narcissistic autobiographical reflections. Leonard stays focused, doesn't waste his readers' time, yet provides all the information and motivation necessary to put the reader on the slow, steady track to success, whether it be in sports, in business, in the arts, or in a life enriched by all that. It's the antithesis of the quick fix: if you care enough about an endeavor to give your time to it, Leonard will tell you what the learning curve will look like, and will tell you that, if it matters, it's worth giving your lifetime to pursue.
Rating:
Summary: A short and very worthwhile read
Review: There are lots of detailed reviews here so I won't repeat it all. This book is full of takeaway messages that will allow you to approach mastering something, anything (a sport, an art, a language, you name it) more effectively. There are two big messages, and a lot of support:
1. The reason for mastery -- he compelling argues that it doesn't matter so much what you choose to master, pick something and pursue mastery. It has a life changing effect. 2. The process for mastery -- this is very compelling. He takes the concept of a plateau and makes it understandable. And shows how to reach mastery given the realities of what happens along the way. We're bad at this in today's world -- we want results right away. But that's not how it works. Committing to the process not the outcomes goes back to ancient Eastern religions, and its as true for modern life and success as well. He's distilled a lifetime of learning into a very short and useful read.
Rating:
Summary: A short and very worthwhile read
Review: There are lots of detailed reviews here so I won't repeat it all. This book is full of takeaway messages that will allow you to approach mastering something, anything (a sport, an art, a language, you name it) more effectively. There are two big messages, and a lot of support:
1. The reason for mastery -- he compelling argues that it doesn't matter so much what you choose to master, pick something and pursue mastery. It has a life changing effect. 2. The process for mastery -- this is very compelling. He takes the concept of a plateau and makes it understandable. And shows how to reach mastery given the realities of what happens along the way. We're bad at this in today's world -- we want results right away. But that's not how it works. Committing to the process not the outcomes goes back to ancient Eastern religions, and its as true for modern life and success as well. He's distilled a lifetime of learning into a very short and useful read.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome insight!
Review: This is a book that will help you master any subject that you are looking to learn: Accounting, Dancing, Martial Arts, Photography, you name it... The author breaks down the nature of improvements as being a gradual rise of plateaus of steady performance. He then explains several pitfalls to improvement, and how to enjoy the activity for it's own sake. At the end you're given tips on how to keep the journey going. Most of the examples are based from the author's study of aikido, but the principles are universal. Anyone that is looking to improve longterm at a skill or vocation will find great use of this book. (& it's thin enough not to be too much of a waste of time if you disagree!)
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