"Your whole life is a kind of apprenticeship to which you apply your learning skills. Everything that happens to you is a form of instruction if you pay attention." (Robert Greene, Mastery)
A friend sent me photos from her trip to Yellowstone—an extraordinary place. When I visited, I couldn't help but imagine how it was centuries ago: simple, wild, and a bit scary.
The idea of roaming freely is romantic, but it is also dangerous. That's why we stopped. We found a better way to survive by building communities where each of us contributes our unique skills. We divided the work, and we thrived. We're the only species that does this—division of labor. One person makes flour, another makes sugar, you bake the cake, and we all enjoy it together. Work together, and we get cake—hopefully, good cake. If someone doesn't do their job, there's no cake.
The lucky (and persistent) are good at many things. Good should not be the goal; rather, it should be mastery. DaVinci, Aurelius, Monet, Einstein, and King were masters of their craft. Maybe you think they were special. They were because they made a decision to become masters. They weren't perfect, but they achieved mastery.
Like you, I have excuses for why I am the way I am, why I've done what I've done, and why I do what I do. When your time is over, what do you want to have mastered? Instagram scrolling? Making money? Winning arguments? Proving yourself? I want to master patience, emotion, judgment, desire, relationships, arrogance, empathy, discipline, fear, and ego. This is where masters start. They wrestle with their demons and work to master these aspects of their lives. Getting these right opens the space to become masters of our craft at work.
Some look at work as a way to make a living—a job. And it is. We shouldn't overthink it or attach too much identity to it. But it's also a duty. It doesn't matter what work you do, how much you make, what you drive, where you live, or your airline status. What matters is whether you give more to the community than you take. We must do this through mastery. It, too, is a duty.
Patience, emotion, judgment, desire, relationships, arrogance, empathy, discipline, fear, and ego - those are the focuses. I also intend to keep working on the craft of loving my wife, my kids, my friends, my community, and myself.
The work we do today shapes who we will be in ten years. So, check your ego, Kelly. Ask more questions and go empty the dishwasher.
Your great-grandchildren may not know your name, but you're building the world they'll live in.
-Kelly
Division of Labor