Mastery

Focus on passion=Less stress and more success

If you could sum up Mastery in three words, what would they be?

Clarity of purpose

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

Being great at something and to truly arrive at being great takes 10,000 hours or more. This is a message that is not being presented in today's age. Students think that they can cheat their way to greatness or be distracted by their phones and think that they can delve deep enough into a subject matter to earn a great job. Shortcuts are preached by many in education and politics. We are not meant to multi-task. Success is not a quick-fix away.

What about Fred Sanders’s performance did you like?

Fred Sanders is the best narrator of a Robert Greene book. He tells the stories well and with just enough passion to keep the listener engaged. I wish that the other books were also available unabridged and read by the same performer. The reader of the abridged Power and Seduction books was too smarmy and took away the credibility of the text.

If you could give Mastery a new subtitle, what would it be?

Master your passion, or be mastered by others.

Any additional comments?

This is a great book and I will read it again. I also purchased the print copy. It is easy to become sidetracked by the media and all of the various forms of entertainment and news that is "so important." Even at work, it is easy to major in the minor things and fall prey to the tyranny of the urgent. This book encourages a person to focus on one thing. To do that separates you out from the 99.999% who dabble and waste their potential and their lives never accomplishing anything worthwhile. What sounds like sacrifice actually is a gift of time and clarity of mind. It takes less time to prioritize when there is a singular goal and less time is needed when the goal is so clear.

52 of 54 people found this review helpful

Classic Robert Greene

I haven't listened to or read another author that tries to teach life lessons that are relevant today through historic stories from the past. Is he always successfull? No, not always. Is it entertaining and will you learn some cool stories about great masters of the past (think Mozart, Da Vinci)? Yes!

This book may or may not change your life. The lessons are great and the stories are interesting, however, as with all these self help types of books, you will only see change if you apply it. Fred Sanders does a great job narrating this book (one of the better Narrations I've listed to on a Robert Greene book).

35 of 38 people found this review helpful

Amazing

I changed my life because of this book. I was trough some depressing times but thanks to Mastery I became more productive.

17 of 19 people found this review helpful

Must read

The books gives a big incentive to create. Moreover, reading this books definitely has a positive impact on the mood!
This is definitely one of my favorite books now.
Really enjoyed this audio version.

17 of 19 people found this review helpful

WOW, I CANT STOP LISTENING

I loved this book, very exciting stories and examples of masters being taught by themselves and stories of their apprenticeships. I have listened to this book over 5 times in the first month and I keep getting more and more out of this book. Instant favorite in my collection of over 500 books. Daily listener and this book has excited me more than most.

46 of 53 people found this review helpful

Its starts of really well but becomes repetitive.

The book started of really well, however it became repetitive. 16 hours is far too long. 10 hours would of been great. he lost me at 12.5 hours He repeats some stories at least three times. What i took from the book, anything you want to be great at you have to work work work.

8 of 9 people found this review helpful

Myopic at times, with some useful stuff thrown in.

Would you try another book from Robert Greene and/or Fred Sanders?

Maybe, but I would be cautious.

Would you ever listen to anything by Robert Greene again?

Maybe.

Which character – as performed by Fred Sanders – was your favorite?

He didn't perform characters. This was written in the third person throughout.

Do you think Mastery needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No

Any additional comments?

Some exceptional concepts and ideas are buried within this book. However, the author cannot seem to get past the idea that parents are all overbearing, non-nurturing, stifling, and have to be "overthrown". Are you kidding me? I get the idea that we have to unshackle ourselves, but I get the feeling the author is projecting, and it significantly takes away from the enjoyment and message of this book.

8 of 9 people found this review helpful

interesting but

it's a good book, throughly interesting but it can be boiled down to a few major points. 1) get a mentor 2) complete an apprenticeship 3) take a holistic approach to your work 4) remember the details 5) most importantly find your calling in life. I'm sure everyone has noticed self help books have one central idea and then are stuffed with anecdotes proving their point. This book is no different. I'd recommend it

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

what it takes, beyond hard work, to really know it

Detailed and far ranging discussion of what it takes to be the best you can be. Examples of both widely known and not so widely known domain experts help illuminate what is required.
When the author starts riffing on the malevolent aspects of the mentor/mentee relationship, I think he is off base. Setting that aside, any person that has the drive to be the best will learn something from this book. Super narration.

20 of 25 people found this review helpful

Great book

Goes over common characteristics of historical figures that mastered something in their lives and explains how to take those traits and apply them to whatever you do in life

2 of 2 people found this review helpful