Summary

In Mastery, Robert Greene explores the journey to becoming a master in any field. Drawing upon the lives of historical figures like Leonardo da Vinci, Charles Darwin, and Benjamin Franklin, as well as contemporary masters, Greene identifies three phases of mastery: Apprenticeship, Creative-Active, and Mastery. The journey begins with discovering your Life's Task, a unique inclination that fuels your passion and persistence. This requires deep self-awareness, reconnecting with your childhood inclinations, and choosing a career path aligned with your inner calling.

The Apprenticeship Phase emphasizes learning over immediate rewards. It's about absorbing the reality of your chosen field, acquiring essential skills through deliberate practice, and finding mentors who can guide you. This phase also emphasizes social intelligence and the importance of seeing people as they are, to avoid political pitfalls and manipulative dynamics.

The Creative-Active Phase involves awakening the Dimensional Mind by applying your knowledge in innovative ways. This requires cultivating negative capability, embracing uncertainty and experimentation, allowing for serendipity, and transforming yourself through practice. Overcoming emotional pitfalls such as complacency and impatience is key to unlocking your creative potential.

Mastery is the fusion of the intuitive and the rational. Through intense immersion in your field, you develop an intuitive feel for its complexities and underlying dynamics. This fingertip feel allows you to see more, anticipate trends, and respond effectively. The book offers numerous strategies to progress through each phase, emphasizing the importance of working with the natural grain of the human brain and connecting to the primal powers within us all.