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izzytheterrible's review against another edition
5.0
I'll be reading this about a thousand more times....
haagen_daz's review against another edition
3.0
Read this on a whim based on a Metafilter comment. It's basically a book about how to learn stuff good. Pretty interesting - to me, the two biggest points are that plateaus in learning are fine and that preconceptions can be very harmful. I think much of this book is common sense but it is nice to see it all in one place. It also kind of makes me want to learn Aikido. It was a quick read, and enjoyable enough. Overall I'm glad I read it, and the concepts he has distilled will probably stick with me into the future.
hundred's review
5.0
"What is mastery? At the heart of it, mastery is practice. Mastery is staying on the path."
Leonard discusses mastery in the context of his practice of Aikido. I really enjoyed this book for it's focus on the long, slow progress and practice necessary to deepen your relationship with a field (work, hobby, practice). The book is well written, to the point, and has practical advice for how to overcome some of the common obstacles to mastery.
I'd say my big takeaways are:
1. Mastery is a journey, not a destination.
2. You must set intentions, make commitments, and stick with them.
3. Mastery is a slow slow journey, focus on the intentional practice and training and less on the accomplishments.
This reads a little like "The Power Of Habit" but with intention and less tactical, explicit advice than "Atomic Habits". Both of which are good compliments to this book.
Leonard discusses mastery in the context of his practice of Aikido. I really enjoyed this book for it's focus on the long, slow progress and practice necessary to deepen your relationship with a field (work, hobby, practice). The book is well written, to the point, and has practical advice for how to overcome some of the common obstacles to mastery.
I'd say my big takeaways are:
1. Mastery is a journey, not a destination.
2. You must set intentions, make commitments, and stick with them.
3. Mastery is a slow slow journey, focus on the intentional practice and training and less on the accomplishments.
This reads a little like "The Power Of Habit" but with intention and less tactical, explicit advice than "Atomic Habits". Both of which are good compliments to this book.
fcannon's review
4.0
The path to long-term mastery is essentially a series of longer and longer plateaus, so you better learn to love practicing, without the reward of obvious progress. Sometimes you need to go backwards for a while to go further. This is a massive struggle with your ego, so you're going to need habit and re-framing skills for the journey.
medyssaku's review against another edition
5.0
So much knowledge in just 176 pages! I read it after a recommendation on YouTube and thank God I did!
George Leonard's book is not your typical self-help book but rather a collection of timeless lessons not only from the author's experience but also from wise Japanese masters. Thus, I had to take an abundance of notes so I will not forget even the smallest piece of advice. It is that type of book that you absolutely need to read during your life because it will give you the greatest gift a book can give you: it will make you think.
George Leonard's book is not your typical self-help book but rather a collection of timeless lessons not only from the author's experience but also from wise Japanese masters. Thus, I had to take an abundance of notes so I will not forget even the smallest piece of advice. It is that type of book that you absolutely need to read during your life because it will give you the greatest gift a book can give you: it will make you think.
annasirius's review against another edition
4.0
Motivational. Worth a re-listen ever once in a while.
achromous's review against another edition
2.0
Dated material. Better covered elsewhere at this point.