Mastery

Greene emphasizes the importance of finding a mentor to accelerate learning and creativity. He suggests that without guidance, individuals may waste valuable time and effort. Mentors, according to Greene, offer efficient and productive learning experiences by focusing attention, providing challenges, and offering immediate feedback.

The mentor-protégé relationship allows individuals to absorb the mentor’s knowledge and experience, while adapting it to their own spirit. Greene advises choosing mentors who align with one’s needs and Life’s Task, the central focus or purpose of one’s life. Once the knowledge is internalized, the individual should move on from their mentor’s shadow and strive to surpass them in mastery and brilliance.

Greene tells the story of Michael Faraday, emphasizing the power of mentorship and perseverance in the pursuit of mastery. Faraday, born into poverty with limited opportunities, demonstrates an insatiable curiosity and thirst for knowledge from a young age, despite his circumstances. Greene highlights Faraday’s encounter with George Riebau, the owner of a bookshop, who recognizes his potential and offers him a job as an apprentice bookbinder. Faraday’s immersion in books ignites his passion for science, which leads him to conduct experiments and attend lectures to expand his understanding.