10,000 HOURS TO MASTERY Master Prophet E. Bernard Jordan LESSON 2 THE LAWS OF MASTERY

COMPETENCE “If people knew how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn't seem so wonderful at all.” (Michelangelo)

COMPETENCE At the heart of mastery lies competence. You must pass through competence to reach mastery. Competence is the skills demonstrated to meet the requirements of a specific task. You may have the artistic talent to design a palace, but it will collapse unless you possess the competency to pour a foundation.

COMPETENCE (CON’T) Jesus did not come to his ministry until he was 30 years old. Why? He was already a master at being the Son of God. He spent 30 years mastering being a man. Jesus’ purpose was to reveal to us the God within each of us. He had to become competent at being human, then become a master at it. Thus, he invested 10,000 hours.

COMPETENCE (CON’T) Competence is the four-card hand we are dealt as we strive to reach the full potential God has placed in us. Based on how we play that hand, we determine the level of risk that we will waste our potential. Card #1: Conscious Competence - the things we know we’re good at. Risk: Moderate: When we know we are competent at something, it is easy to fall into complacency. “If you do only what you are good at, you will never become great.” (Jim Collins, Good to Great)

COMPETENCE (CON’T) Good is the enemy of great! Card #2: Conscious Incompetence - what we know we’re not good at. Risk: Low. Things we are compelled to work on because we see them daily. Ex. When we see in the mirror that we are overweight, we are more likely to exercise and become slimmer. To thine own self be true. Leveraging conscious incompetence becomes a matter of overcoming self-delusion and rejecting false self-esteem.

COMPETENCE (CON’T) Card #3: Unconscious Competence - things we don’t realize we’re good at. Risk: Moderate. If you don’t realize you’re good at something, you can waste time re-learning it or miss opportunities by not leveraging it. Ex: Julia Child did not realize that she had a gift for French cooking, so it took her until she was in her 40’s to turn it into a career and become a star. A mentor can perceive unconscious competencies and make us aware of them.

COMPETENCE (CON’T) Card #4: Unconscious Incompetence - what we don’t know we’re not good at. Risk: High. Danger zone. Self-deception can convince you you’re good at something you’re not. Ex: the writer who is convinced she has talent as a novelist and wastes 20 years producing a terrible novel, when she could have excelled as a journalist. The hallmark of this is a profound lack of self- awareness stemming from a lack of introspection.

COMPETENCE CURES Cure 1: meditation, prayer and silence. Know thyself. Cure 2: listen to wise counsel. Listen to professionals. Do not mistake ubiquity for expertise! Just because a blogger is widely read does not mean he is a good journalist. Just because a pastor can fill a church, does not make him a true prophet. Know whose counsel to take as to your competence. Select those with clear vision, honest words and the motivation to make you better.

10,000 HOURS TO MASTERY Master Prophet E. Bernard Jordan LESSON 2 THE LAWS OF MASTERY