We all intuitively know that to master anything in life, you are required to go deep, not shallow. However, there is a specific process that everyone must go through to truly succeed in mastering any outcome.
What Are The 3 Levels Of Mastery?
The 3 levels of mastery are: Mental Mastery, Emotional Mastery and Physical Mastery. Everyone must go through these three levels in order to master any skill. Below we’ll unpack each of the three levels.
- Level 1: Mental Mastery
The first level of mastery is where we internalise the skill mentally.
This is the period where you take the time to watch videos, read books, listen to podcasts, consume training programmes and attend to seminars. You know what you want (your outcome) and you know what you need to do to get it. However, knowing is not enough.
“Knowledge is only potential power.”
- Level 2: Emotional Mastery
The second level of mastery is where we internalise the skill emotionally.
This is the period where you link pain and pleasure to your actions which drives you towards your desired outcome. You act on what you know instead of just knowing it. The more you apply your knowledge, the more it becomes a part of you.
“Applied knowledge is power.”
- Level 3: Physical Mastery
The third level of mastery is where we internalise the skill physically.
This is the period where you now fully own and embody your outcome. You have applied what you have learnt with enough repetition and enough emotion that it is now a habit. It’s automatic. You do it without even thinking. This is the level of true mastery.
Going through this process takes you from Mental Mastery of “I know what to do” to Physical Mastery of “I do it unconsciously”.
“Mastery is not a function of genius or talent. It is a function of time and intense focus applied to a particular field of knowledge.” ― Robert Greene
Journey, Not A Destination
Since there is always another level to learn, mastery actually means you’re a master of what you know and an apprentice of what you don’t. In other words, we become master of what is behind us and apprentices of what is ahead of us. Hence, mastery is a process, not a destination.
Summary
In order to gain mastery over anything in life, there is a specific process which involves three levels that everyone must go through. They are Mental Mastery, Emotional Mastery and Physical Mastery.
We can attain Mental Mastery by gaining a deep understanding of what we want and what we need to do to get it. We can attain Emotional Mastery by applying what we know. We can attain Physical Mastery through continual reinforcement to the point where it becomes a habit.
