Mastery (The Robert Greene Collection) by Robert Greene (2012-11-19)

Good info about how we really become masters at anything in life. Greene points out so rightly that our society thinks there is some magical short cut to success. But the only real way is to put in the time to learn the skills required to be a master. The long journey to acquire these skills requires a person be following their true passion. Following your passion provides the energy and motivation needed to get thru the thousands of hours with no or little pay to reach mastery.

I enjoyed reading "Mastery." The use of historical figures to demonstrate the principles of Mastery is well written. Among the authors points are that Mastery is attainable by all but not without years of hard work, apprenticeship, obsession, and courage to do what you have never done before. Mastery doesn't depend on genes, ethnicity, nationality, education, gender, age, childhood upbringing, or even luck. It's mostly a lot of years working with a purpose. Robert Greene explains all of this only beautifully. Thank you Robert.

Mastery was a great read!!! I feel galvanized and inspired!!!! Very useful and I have added to my "tool box" of knowledge! This book is similar to his other book, "48 Laws of Power" from the perspective of being able to apply to your personal and professional life. I recommend this book for all ages!!

This book does a fantastic job explaining what it takes to obtain mastery. It shows you how others came to master their craft. Too often we think people are geniuses but what they really have is focus. In today's high tech world this book is more important than ever.

Dwelling on the unknown in any field has often been associated with individuals that have unique capabilities. This book has demonstrated that performing beyond the known frontiers in any field requires one to master the field both in technical and emotional intelligence terms before trying to extebd it. Due to poor communication infrastructure, discoveries took very long time in the past. However, the processes that one has to go through to make a discovery today (extending the frontiers) remain the same. What I liked most about the book are the detailed steps of mastery that anyone can follow and make a difference. What I disliked about the book is too much emphasis on the masters of the olden times on the expense of today's masters. I recommend the book to anyone who wants to be exceptionally good the field in which one is.

The challenge of recommending Mastery is classifying it - to quickly give the reader a sense of what to expect. It is a "self-help" book, but not a "how-to" book. I had the feeling that Robert was trying to reprogram me - in the most helpful and benevolent sense. We were trained to be good workers, not masters. The masters do things differently, but we can't quite figure out what.

It helps to start by understanding the goal. The human brain is capable of much more than we expect - our brain enabled use to master our environment. The problem is, formal knowledge relies heavily on language and does not take advantage of our brain's full potential. Robert's mastery is a more primal sense of knowledge; it relies on a deep knowledge of the subject that translates into an intuitive feel. Our intuitive brain is capable of a level of awareness our analytical brains aren't.

Masters have not only developed an intuitive feel for their field, but they are creative -they have a personal style, technique, philosophy, or vision. The masters' creativity is much different than an amateurs' spontaneity. Creative works from the masters evolve from experimenting at the edges of their fields.

What makes Robert's approach to mastery different is his ability to draw from so many different fields. Other books cover the neuroscience and evolutionary psychology of intuition and creativity, but Robert makes the concepts concrete with historical examples. For example, Robert uses the cracking of the Rosetta stone to illustrate how a holistic, intuitive approach can accomplish feats that baffle mechanical purely analytical approaches.

The first half of the book covers the process of becoming a master; discovering your calling, acquiring basic skills, and managing relationship - particularly with your mentor. Again, Robert is describing a deeper connection to work and learning.

Robert doesn't say "follow a passion", he tells us to "discover a calling" - find something that you can devote yourself to. Beyond formal schooling, mastery requires an apprenticeship - an apprenticeship is imitating a master and using the mirror neurons to imprint their skill onto your brain. The apprenticeship is also the time to start experimenting - sowing the seeds for creativity.

There are also sections on interpersonal skills - both general and specifically regarding mentors. Fans of Robert will find this material familiar. The themes are familiar, the application new. Poor social skills will get in the way of your mastery. You need social skills to create space for your mastery.

In relation to Robert's other books, Mastery is the easiest to apply. There seems to be evolution in his writing; 48 Laws of Power is a collection of strategies, Art of Seduction is a process, and Art of War is a framework, Mastery is a combination of a process and framework.

Broke down some of the fundamentals of mastery. The value of practice and experience. The value of a mentor and what you can do if you don't have one. Robert Greene shows how important patience is and reintroduces the idea of 10,000 hours of work before mastery, which I first read about in Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers, not sure who originated the 10,000 rule. Anyway, I would recommend this book.

Good read to inspire for those who are going their own way. A bit repetitive, but it is nice to see that I'm not the first person in the world to be a bit lost in keeping true to myself and balancing the worldly needs. Good read not great. Inspiring to a certain extent, not necessary, and still happy that I read cover to cover

Robert Greene does an excellent job in allowing mere mortals to peek behind the curtain of masters. He exquisitely dissects the universal truths and analyzes the trends that made these people what and who they are/were and gives the reader tangible ideas for beginning the journey. A must read

As usual Robert Greene hits the mark with real word examples and ideas that give you a clear understanding of how to make the most of the life we've been given. Thoroughly enjoying the advice that this book is providing. You did it again Mr. Greene. 48 Laws of Power, the Art of Seduction and now Mastery!!! You are the Master of your domain!

Robert Greene does a stunning job of giving the reader a deep and subtle feel for the journey of mastery ... and the stories of real people are brilliantly crafted.

The 10% I didn't like was his philosophy that justifies manipulation to cope with a crazy world ....

Oh well ...

Better than expected; who can ever get enough of hearing biographical anecdotes of famous creatives? Greene pulls it together with wisdom and insight, I usually get bored reading non-fiction but this one held my attention, and even motivated me to dream bigger.

A masterful work on persistence and outlining what it takes to achieve greatness in anything you pursue. Carefully studied and researched, with elaborate depth in the storytelling throughout the work. It's the first book by Greene I've picked up but certainly will not be the last.

Buy this book, you won't be disappointed. Mastery is just as good as other Robert Greene material. It's very inspirational & I learned historical material about many of the masters in the book which I was'nt aware of. The book is a great guide to mastery. Check it out.

Along with "48 Power Laws", "33 Strategies of War" all penned by the same author, I put this book on pre-order waiting for the release. I was NOT disappointed. This author places the mind of the past into an expertise of the present. Not his mind. But the reader. The 'Art of Seduction' accompanies my collection knowing what is inspired manifests toward influence. "Mastery" shows everyone what is within themselves. I never speak improperly of this book or any mentioned. There is no doubt in my mind after reading the full collection, there is no question. Sustaining toward best is well within reach. Thank you.

Robert Greene has provided me are source that I will treasure for a lifetime. I learned as much about myself as I did about the most creative minds through history. It has helped me in all aspects of my life. Captures the creative process that displays his clear content knowledge on the subject. Captivating. Must read. Incredible.

Most inspirational book I have ever read! The book is full of stories of successful people but explains their stories to show how they began their lives like everyone else and the difference was their effort and perseverance. I listened to the book on audio and bought the book for my 17 year old son because I believe it can change his life (if I can get him to read it).

This reading is very detailed, often using real historical people and events to produce theory of mastery. The only problem i encountered was an unconventional book structure, which lead to repetition of recurring idea. This is the only reason I gave 4 and not 5 stars. I recommend this reading to anyone wishing to develop a complete understanding of getting the most out of a given craft.

This monumental book will change you. Read it, delve deeply into it and absorb it. I've bought this book as a gift for loved ones several times over and have referred dozens of others to it. My only complaint with this book is that it wasn't published sooner. Had I discovered this work when I was a child, who knows what outcomes would have been possible. The sooner you dive in, the sooner you'll change your trajectory.

This book basically sums up everything he has ever written. The book is not as easy to read as the others but the know ledge gained is worth the time. Don't plan on reading this book quickly as it is not one for easy reading and passive absorption. I loved it.

As a creative individual, I found this book to be an amazing glimpse into the lives of the great artists, inventors, and musicians that have given so much to hone their skills and share their works with the world. The most amazing things to know is how many of the masters seemed to be meant to do what they do, even if there was a struggle to be born into their destiny...a really great find!

I recommend this book to every high schooler, college student, career changer, or any one who wants to get motivated and find some direction to their goals. It is an insightful look on how to find a mentor, become an apprentice, and become your own master.

I recently graduated from college and I wish I had read this book before graduating. It gave me a better idea of what I should be doing with my life. It's very motivational/inspirational and has really changed how I look at my life. I highly recommend this to students, or anyone that feels they are missing something in their career. This might help point you in right direction.

I wasted my money on this on a recommendation from another person. The book is well written and sometimes has interesting biographical facts on the subject persons but over all is the usual self-help drivel. It is filled with countless (I didn't bother to count them) stories about subjects like Edison, Faraday, and Da Vinci but none of these stories lead to a system I can apply to my life.

It is a pattern followed by the self-help writers to fill their tomes with anecdotal story after story that lead nowhere and this book follows that pattern. I kept reading, hoping to find some nuggets but ... nothing.

First review. I'm still reading this book - 27 years old. I don't normally read much and books can barely keep my attention. I bought a copy for my brother who is 18 (for his 18th bday).

I highly suggest anyone who isn't sure about their futures to read this book. Not only do you learn a bit about history and persona's of some of the successful people that ever lived, you've learn how you can apply it to your own lifestyle.

Very well written book.

We have so much untapped potential. So often we are dissuaded from pursuing our talents and dreams by others through envy,jealousy or cultural pressure. Greene's book reminds us that we have only one life and will walk those who have the desire down the path of how and why to open your world to your genius.

Robert Greene does it again with this new book. I started out with 48 LOP & 33 SOW--both awesome reads. I wish Mastery was released first, because it's foundational. His other titles should be read AFTER Mastery depending on what phase of life you're in.

Robert Greene does it again with this new book. I started out with 48 LOP & 33 SOW--both awesome reads. I wish Mastery was released first, because it's foundational. His other titles should be read AFTER Mastery depending on what phase of life you're in.

Initially a very engrossing read that tapered down toward the end of the book due to repeatedly revisiting the cast of characters introduced early on. Robert Greene seeks to illustrate the overarching principle of submitting to excellence via being dedicated, retaining a child-like wonder, and forging one's own path in spite of society's conformist mindset. I found the book to be very motivational and inspiring, and would recommend it to anyone who seeks to attain both fluency and fluidity in any subject matter.