We continue to work through the 5 Keys of Mastery. Last week was about Practice and it involves more than you think. So what role does Surrender play in Mastery? Waving white flags or your dog’
s underbelly is not what is being referenced here, rather it is to yield to the instruction and the demands of your discipline. Are you willing to look the part of the fool as you try something new? To place faith in your instructor that the odd request is one that will create real learning? To practice the same move, shot, process, presentation, again and again and again to recognize the subtleties, shifts and ah-ha’s that come only from heightened awareness. If you are not willing to surrender at this level, consider another endeavor as those who are unwilling to yield will find little progress to be made.
Yet there is another aspect of surrender that is even more challenging and that is the ability to give up what you have already learned. To take apart a golf swing in order to rebuild it to something greater; to move laterally or perhaps backwards in our career for greater gain. What makes this part of surrender so challenging? Fear. Fear that we will be unable to equal, much less exceed, our previous level. Fear of the discomfort that comes from swinging the golf club only to have the ball dribble a few feet away from the tee. Fear of losing the respect of peers by admitting “hey, this is new to me.”
Herein lies one of the most important keys – our willingness to check our ego at the door and to approach a new learning with a beginner’s mind. Without this ability to surrender we may remain stuck in that mid-level position in our career, desperately clinging to what we know, unwilling to consider a new approach, learning or a lateral career move that could catapult us to levels previously unimagined. Are you prepared to surrender in order to grow?