Mastery by George Leonard: Issue 09 | January 2014

The ideas in this book are simple, yet profound: if we want to live up to our highest potential, we must master the concept of mastery. This book is filled with practices and advice to achieve that goal.

As I read, I especially appreciated the distinction the book made between masters and three other archetypes—Dabblers, Obsessives, and Hackers—that will hold people back from reaching true mastery. I was most surprised by the role that surrender takes in achieving mastery. The willingness to look stupid is an essential part of the path, and we must embrace it, not avoid it.

There are a lot of useful tidbits in this book, whether you are struggling to achieve more in your work, or you've already achieved a lot and want to level up to become a master of your craft. This is the perfect book to get your new year started out on the right foot.