Mastering the Commonplace | Tools for Mastery

How do  we gain mastery in the commonplace?

Star Wars: The Last Jedi was released in mid-December… and I absolutely loved it! One of my favorite lines in the entire film was said by Yoda’s Force Ghost, “Luke… still looking to the horizon, never his mind here in the present.” I might be completely paraphrasing that… so don’t quote me!

Yoda proceeds to hit Luke with his stick on the head, a throw back to a scene in the Empire Strikes Back.  Where Luke is getting frustrated by the mundane and repetition of what he believes is useless training.  It’s ironic because I do this personally in my own life as well.

I get so preoccupied with my goals and being at the horizon rather than enjoying the process and the journey of that becoming.

Today, we are going to address part four of five in the Tools of Mastery series. As we work to clarify the 5 questions asked by George Leonard in Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment.

• How can you avoid backsliding?
• Where will you get the energy for your journey?
• What pitfalls will you encounter along the path?
• How can you apply mastery to the commonplace things of your life?
• What should you pack for the journey?

I know I’m not the only person that does this, there are times when I’m just quite simply in a rush.  Like Luke I want to be at the horizon.  For Luke he wants to gain mastery of the Force.  For me, I want to pay off my student loans, drop 20 lbs, and many more goals.

The interesting thing when we really take a glance at our lives, how many moments are we not present?

I know for myself I rush getting dressed, showering, preparing food, driving to work, driving home, and so many more moments “in between.”

That is exactly what Yoda says that Luke is doing during his training, he isn’t advancing quicker because he isn’t giving the mundane the fullness of his intention and attention.  In fact most of his training Luke might say was the “in between.”  Much like our lives there are things we simply must do as children, adults, parents, and employees.

If could choose to view these moments as “mundane” or “in between” it robs us of being present and truly relishing in that in the moment.  Zen practice is organized around meditation and chanting.  Every Zen master will tell you that there is no difference between meditation and washing dishes.  The quality of our practice is defined by how we choose to be in those moments.

What if we apply this way of thinking to every aspect of our life?

There are tons of areas that we could apply this too:

• Driving
• Cleaning
• Laundry
• Grocery Shopping
• Eating
• Showering
• Conversations
• Relationships

The list could go on and on!

Chinese Zen Master Layman P’ang once said,

“My daily affairs are quite ordinary;

but I’m in total harmony with them.

I don’t hold on to anything, don’t reject anything;

nowhere an obstacle or conflict.

Who cares about wealth and honor?

Even the poorest thing shines.

My miraculous power and spiritual activity;

drawing water and carrying wood.”

Our every action is connected to the attention, we bring during an activity.  As George says, “All paths of mastery eventually merge.” Our intention and attention are always under our control, if we choose to use them in the “in between” what might our lives look like?  If you’ve enjoyed this post, please do me a favor, share it and sign up to be notified of future post