6 Tips To Remember While Mastering your Craft
Let’s say you want to master the craft of writing.
It’s not only the writing that is important.
There are behind-the-scenes forces that influence your words.
The proper reading.
The proper research.
A disciplined writing practice.
Dealing with criticism and much more.
No matter what craft it is…
Mastering it takes work.
In this article, you will learn 6 tips to keep in mind when you begin your journey to mastering your craft.
Which brings me to the strange tip of number 1.
1. You NEVER Master Your Craft
Think about a master in any field.
Do they ever say something like:
‘I have officially mastered my craft.’
?
No.
Because if they think that, then their desire to keep practicing will plummet.
When their practicing plummets, their craft plummets.
True masters keep mastering for life.
They don’t speak in finite terms.
Which has a deadline. Like:
‘I have mastered my craft.’
They speak in infinite terms.
They say:
‘I will keep sharpening my blade, forever.’
2. There is ALWAYS Something to Improve
Stupid people think they know everything.
Smart people think they have yet to know anything.
The reason smart people behave like this is because they are aware of a lot of things.
However, one caveat of being smarter is knowing what you are ignorant on.
And the smart person knows they are ignorant on plenty…
This is a good problem to have.
Because this keeps them learning.
Similar to mastering a craft.
Maybe you have been practicing writing for some time.
However, you have the tendency to ramble.
The sentences can be shortened.
When you have a finite mindset, you find this to be annoying.
‘Damn! When am I going to figure this out already?’
But when you have the infinite mindset, you’re like:
‘Yes, a new challenge for me to work on!!’
3. A Practice Routine Keeps You Consistent
A lot of creators don’t have an idea problem.
They have a deadline problem.
They have a deadline problem because they don’t take the initiative to set deadlines.
Without deadlines, the mind will overthink.
It doesn’t need to be a complex practice routine either.
The simpler, the better.
For example:
‘Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I will write a blog.’
‘Evenings are for reading.’
‘Mornings are for writing.’
To better plan your day, be sure to check out my personal organizer planner, Simplify.
Take the guesswork out so you stay disciplined.
4. Keep Learning More Theory
Practicing is a great way to give your nervous system more data.
You learn the theory better by doing than learning the theory strictly with the theory.
But that doesn’t mean that you undermine the theory.
When you have practical experience, theory becomes a safe haven.
For a while, you were doing things a certain way.
There was a lot of guesswork involved.
But then you read a book that breaks down your moves into formulas.
When you see that your moves have already been codified by someone else, that’s when you’re like:
‘Whoa!! There’s a method to the madness!’
This is how education was meant to be in the first place.
Practical application and theory are meant to be friends, not enemies.
Therefore, lead with street smarts.
Fill in the gaps with book smarts.
5. Interleaving Learning
While mastering your craft, you’ll notice yourself becoming a polymath.
Interleaving learning is cross-combining subjects to build a holistic understanding.
But wait!
You may be tempted to study a bunch of random subjects to force yourself into a big picture view.
I recommend you don’t do that.
Instead, organically drift off to a new subject.
When I started writing, I had to set up my site.
When I set up my site, I organically learned more about domain setup, hosting services, and WordPress.
So, I naturally hopped from writing to information technology.
Once I learned more about information technology, I realized:
‘Whoa, computers are just a series of electricity turning on and off.’
What the hell is electricity…really?
So, I got curious about that subject.
Think about this:
- Writing -> electricity.
Similar hops in subjects will happen to you.
As you aim to master your craft, you will learn plenty of topics along the way.
6. Clarify the Vision
The mind is prone to entropy.
It’s wired to get distracted.
When Steve Jobs got fired from Apple, he went on to start a new company called Next.
His most important role was to keep reiterating the vision to his employees.
Because the employees would often drift off to majoring in the minors.
Steve would fall for that trap too.
Therefore, he had to constantly remind himself of the vision.
The more the vision became clarified, the more the desire built.
The more the desire built, the more the work just took care of itself!
Keep reminding yourself of why you started this craft in the first place.
Keep adding more clarity to it.
Tackle it from multiple angles.
Eventually, that vision will always remain at the forefront of your mind.
Now the work will take care of itself.
Always Stay Sharpening the Blade
A strong purpose is not built from hoping to retire on a beach and drinking sour amaretto’s all day.
True purpose is becoming awesome at something.
Anything.
If you follow the ArmaniTalks brand, then you are aiming to get better with words.
Stick with the skills.
By mastering 1, you begin to master plenty.
And if you ask me…
That beats being a beach bum any day.
For more strategies on how to build a mindset to pursue greatness, be sure to check out my book:
- Level Up Mentality: A Guide to Re-Engineer your Mindset for Confidence
This book will teach you how to:
- Create a north star that you can pursue for life.
- Be disciplined to take care of day-to-day activities.
- Practical ways to monitor progress.
- Chronicle your journey.
- Turning your life into a story.
Along with plenty of other topics!
Grab a copy here:
Ebook
Paperback/Kindle
Audiobook
– ArmaniTalks 
