Mastery in any art takes:
- discipline
- experience
- study
While there are no real shortcuts, there are practical ways to optimize in order to reach excellence.
Way 1: conscious practice
Practice often becomes routine.
Routines “turn off” our brains so we can think about other things while going through the motions.
Make an effort to keep your brain “on” during every routine, and you’ll improve faster.
Way 2: develop your system
To improve both my storytelling skills and acting skills, I write my stories through dictation.
I pick a topic, I write it and I let software do the transcription work.
It’s not something everyone can do; it is a system that I developed from my specific skills and objectives.
Way 3: analyze and emulate the greats
Look at the great artists in your field.
What do they do? How do they do it?
Analyze them and try to imitate their process as part of your own.
Way 4: step outside your comfort zone
It’s easy, after years of experience, to hide in your comfort zone.
That’s normal: our brain wants to get the most with the least effort.
Consciously find new ways to push your own boundaries and limitations.
Way 5: develop complementary skills
A storyteller is not just a writer.
He is a businessperson, a manager of himself, a musician, an actor, a painter…
What skills complement the one you want to master?
Way 6: keep a journal
Write everything down: what you learn, your new experiences, your insights…
It is proven that keeping a journal reinforces everything you write about and makes you master things faster.
Way 7: take breaks
The same way bodybuilders need to take breaks to allow their muscles to recover, you need to take breaks from practice.
While taking a break, your brain relaxes and has time to build neural networks around your new experiences.