There was a missing piece to the book The Great Work of Your Life, that I talked about during the past 2 lectures (as well as Dr. K’s teachings regarding dharma).

In the Bhagavad Gita (the ancient Hindu text from which these contemporary works are derived) the man who’s receiving Krishna’s advice has this dharma of being a warrior.

The reason is where he was born because, at that point, the Hindu society worked that way. Depending on where you were born is what you’re going to do.

Nowadays we have no born-with path to attach our lives to.

But there is a path.

And there is a journey to its discovery.

Mastery by Robert Greene explores how geniuses (Masters, as he puts it) of history found and followed their paths.

He gives a framework that repeats itself through history and in contemporary lives that I think is key to realizing our potential in today’s world.

This letter will have somewhat of a different format.

These are 7 concepts I learned from Mastery (and it’s just part 1):

Modern rules, new paths

Now there is a place to be ourselves.

We are not born warriors, monks, craftsmen, or lumbers, and that’s it for life.

Even then, our path is also somewhat laid out at birth too.

It’s in our DNA and our resulting unique brain.

There has never been one person with the same DNA nor will be one in the future.

Nothing happens by chance. 

Our mind, our brain, our intuition hints us at our calling. 

Our past feeds our present and future when we think wisely, making the best use of our skills, understanding the importance of patience, and finding work at the intersection of our passions and skills.

My League career is as useful as my background in self-improvement and my fascination for psychology, myths, poetry, animals, and leadership.

It hints at my calling.

And every skill you master is like a superpower.

We all can achieve mastery

Putting in the hours daily.

Showing our work to others to get feedback.

Finding mentors, live or through videos and books.

Being our greatest fan and our harshest critic.

Starting before we are ready.

Give it 10 years and it’s impossible not to be at the top of your field.

You don’t even need to be at it full-time.

You have no excuses.

The only magic formula you'll ever need is this:

Show up and do the work.

We see the top performers thinking they are not from this world. 

This is the reality: Their brain evolved through 6 million years, and it's wired to lead them to mastery. 

Harsh truth: It's the same brain you have. 

It’s just that you’ve been placing your focus in the wrong place.

Focus

Our brains evolved to focus deeply:

Analyze behavior and understand the "thought process" behind everything...

• Prey: to kill them

• Predators: to avoid them

• Humans: to cooperate with them

• Nature: to make it work in our favor

Think about it: the sun, the moon, the sky, love, war, and riches.

They all had their gods.

We understood the inanimate, through careful observation, reflection, and empathy.

The brain hasn’t changed much after all these tens of thousands of years.

Stop scattering your focus.

Use it.

Neuroplasticity

Our brains are plastic:

We can change our habits and mindset.

We can make conscious decisions defying our past.

We can't achieve everything.

But we can achieve anything.

It takes:

• Humility: open to learning

• Hard work: putting in the hours

• Persistence: not giving up

Recognize what is and isn't useful in our modern world.

• Focus

• Books

• Distractions

• Endless entertainment

You have the genius gene.

This mind made us survive.

Let go of the bad, let the good in.

Your mind has incredible power awaiting to be unleashed.

Mastery and ego

Why you don't put in the work: Your ego is scared of the expression of your true self.

Why you don't put your work out there: Your ego is scared of the expression of your true self.

How to fix it: Sit down, work, and show.

Something better than success awaits: 

Your true self.

Recognize what is and isn't useful in our modern world.

• Focus

• Books

• Distractions

• Endless entertainment

You have the genius gene.

This mind made us survive.

Let go of the bad, let the good in.

Your mind has incredible power awaiting to be unleashed.

Intuition

Listen to your mind.

You know those pulls toward good action or true speech. You can feel them.

You don't need someone to tell it to you.

That part of you is full of your unconscious wisdom.

The thoughts or feelings come out of nowhere.

Listen attentively.

Act accordingly.

IQ and becoming a genius

Charles Darwin, the father of the theory of evolution, had a super-genius brother, with an exceptionally high IQ.
Yet Darwin is the superior scientist, the scientist who changed the way we perceive nature forever.
As Darwin himself admitted, he was “a very ordinary boy, rather below the common standard in intellect…. I have no great quickness of apprehension…. My power to follow a long and purely abstract train of thought is very limited.”’
– Robert Greene

You don’t need talent or a high IQ. 

The only inborn requirement is a deep inclination for the particular subject. 

We all have inclinations, we just have to find them. 

Depth of focus and curiosity, accelerated learning, and effortless hours of work will follow, leading to a career of decades without a real chance of failure.

Our inclination is a reflection of our uniqueness. 

And it’s not merely psychological. 

Remember, our DNA has never existed before and will never exist in the future. 

It’s not supposition but scientific fact.

Misc: Poetry and personal thoughts

You'll keep regretting decisions from your past until you understand they are the reason for the power you now hold.

Success requires patience.
Results require time.
In death, there is no sentence.
Better write until I die.

End

See you next Saturday, and feel free to write me on X (@valenbiasi) if you want to talk!URP