Every master is a fraud

Or, the simple way to become good at anything.

Mastery is not a function of genius or talent, but a function of time and intense focus applied to a particular field of knowledge. - Robert Greene

If you’ve spent any time at all on social media, you’ll have come across someone with particularly amazing artistic talent, for example, this video of a guy that paints portraits upside down. Have you ever wondered just how they are able to do such amazing things? Or perhaps wished you could do the same?

Well, I’m here to tell you that they are frauds.

Not frauds in the sense that they are deceptive, but in the sense that what they do isn’t that hard.

Let me explain.

If you are a creative (you probably are, if you’re reading this), that means you wake up everyday trying to create something new, or at least, better than what you created yesterday. And if you do it well enough, you get proclaimed a “master”, or “genius”.

So, where does the ‘fraud’ start?

As a creative myself, I write content. I wake up every morning to think of new ways to say different things to people and I get paid for it. I’ve been told I’m a pretty decent writer, and even been hailed a couple of times as a genius. Half the time that happens, I honestly feel like a conman.

Why?

Because it wasn’t hard for me.

This is the bane of all masters and professionals everywhere. When you become good at what you do, and I mean, really good, it becomes relatively easy for you to do it. So, when the adoration and praises come pouring in, you start thinking, ‘What on earth are they praising me for? Soon, they’ll realize it wasn’t that hard and then everyone will know I’m a fraud’

This is the source of that pesky little thing called ‘imposter syndrome’, you know, that little voice at the back of your head that whispers, ‘What makes you think you’re good enough?’

And I’m not the only one that faces it. Some of the most accomplished actors, musicians and creatives on the planet still struggle with this feeling. Don Cheadle, the amazing dude that acted Colonel Rhodes, or War Machine in the MCU (The black avenger dude that’s Iron Man’s friend) said when he looks at his work ‘All I see is everything I’m doing wrong that is a sham and a fraud.’ Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis says “It feels like my hard work has paid off, but at the same time I still have the impostor, you know, syndrome. I still feel like I’m going to wake up and everybody’s going to see me for the hack I am.”

But why is this so?

You see, it’s a catch-22 situation. The proof of mastery is the ability to replicate an excellent result consistently and seemingly effortlessly. A master pianist is one that can play the best chords and symphonies on the piano effortlessly. A master chef is one that can create the best dishes effortlessly, even with regular ingredients.

If the proof of being a master is the ability to create an excellent result almost effortlessly, why do I feel like a fraud when I create something great and I get praise for it?

I found this really exciting, and started to research into it. Then I discovered something amazing.

Did you know that your brain can literally reprogram itself based on what you do repetitively?

You see, the way a master artist sees a blank canvas is different from what you see. Michelangelo famously said “In every block of marble I see a statue…I only have to hew away the rough walls that imprison the lovely apparition to reveal it'“. Masters have a different way of seeing their craft. Where you see a blank canvas, the master sees a masterpiece to be made. Like, the process literally occurs in their head first, before it ever gets produced in real life. I write every blog in my head, or at least an outline of it, before I type a single letter.

Now, this doesn't sound revolutionary, but we don’t realize that there’s usually a disconnect between what you think, what you create. This is why you’re not a master artist. It doesn't matter how great the picture in your head is, as an amateur, you can’t accurately bring it to life.

Unless…..

You do it over and over again.

Here’s an example. If you’ve ever played video games, the first few games are always the hardest. There’s a huge disconnect between what you want to do, and what you actually do. If you want to make a pass on FIFA, for instance, you have to decide that you want to make a pass, look at the controller to select the related button, and finally press it. Same thing with attacking, or playing a shot, and so on.

Sounds like a long process, right?

However, something interesting happens when you continue playing. Suddenly, you don’t need to look down at the controller. All you need is to think about an action, and your brain automatically carries out the related action. Eventually, the process becomes automatic.

This process is the same for literally everything you do. Playing the piano. Walking. Typing. Writing a blog post. Painting upside down… and the list goes on.

What happens is that your brain literally rewires itself to make that process or action become easier. The more you perform an action, the easier it becomes.

In other words, the first time is always the hardest.

This is what make masters ‘frauds’. The fact that they usually aren’t extraordinarily gifted. They’ve just devoted an obscene amount of time to honing and mastering that skill.

I feel like a fraud when I write a really great article, because I know I don’t have any special writing magic. It’s just a lifetime of reading at least 10,000 words per day, and writing daily for a almost 3 years. So in my mind I think “I’m not really special, anybody could have done it“.

This is also a major reason why creatives find it hard to charge full price for their creations, because we think “it’s not so hard', anyone could have done it“.

The solution?

The solution to feeling like a fraudulent master is to acknowledge that you are master because of what you know, and how long you’ve spent honing your craft. While it may seem simple to you, it’s not simple to others and you deserve to get paid for the time, effort, and consistency you’ve put in over the years to enable deliver high-quality creations consistently.

You sef na boss!

Finally, and perhaps the most exciting part of all this, is the fact that you can become a master at almost anything. While it is true that certain genetic and environmental factors might predispose individuals to succeed in certain fields, we can all attain a considerable level of mastery in any field, if only we can cultivate the discipline to dedicate ourselves to it.

Mastery is the reward of extensive time invested in a single pursuit.

And perhaps the most scary part of all this, is that your brain WILL rewire itself irrespective of what you do. You don’t get to choose whether you become a Master or not, you only choose what you gain mastery of.

Look at your life, whatever activity you spend the most of your time on right now, is what you’ll become a master of in a few years.

So, my question to you is, what will you become a master of? What will you be known for?

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