CHAPTER 17

Personal Mastery

Your vocational health demands personal mastery, which may sound like one of those talents possessed only by a Jedi knight—you know, like a phenomenal IQ or an amazing memory, something that you're either born with or not. The reality, however, is much more intriguing.

Everyone has the capacity for personal mastery, but what holds us back is not our genes but our attitude. Personal mastery is best summed up as an innate desire for growth, self-improvement, and the inner satisfaction that comes with being able to do or know something thoroughly. It's between our ears, not in a strand of DNA.

Personal mastery is not easy. It requires a firm commitment to a particular kind of effort—to learning. Your ability to master ...

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