Becoming a master is a mission, staying at this level is an art!

After an intensive working-day I am driving home. Hundreds of thoughts are crossing my mind. Then I decide to switch the audio-system on, and I start to listen to Janine Jansen, who is playing the Violin Concerto in E minor, opus 64 (by Felix Mendelssohn). It is an absolute stunning peace, performed by an amazing artist. My love for this peace probably is also a result of the violin lessons that I have had as a 5 year old child, and my fascination for Mendelssohn at that early age. Janine is a brilliant violinist, in the true sense of the word: a master in her trade, she is playing on a ‘master-violin’ (one of the very rare 318 Stradivarius), and always performs ‘masterly’.

To me, she is a great example of a master that has grown to great heights within her trade. And being Dutch I am obviously very proud to have such a ‘countrywoman’. Nonetheless, Janine is also a human being, and quite recently (whilst actually residing at the very top of the international music scene) she suddenly had a burnout.

A couple of weeks ago she was a guest at a prominent talk-show in Holland where she told about this period, how she got through it, and how it (in the end) made her only stronger! It shows courage to fight through such a period in life, and especially to get out of that even stronger. Janine is someone that I greatly respect. Nevertheless, such a burnout on the master-level is actually avoidable.

In our new book “Meesterlijk” Chris Sommer and I discuss (what we have found to be) the 5 secrets of ‘the master’. 5 ways to stay healthy and to keep on growing…

In short, these are our 5 ‘secrets’:

1. An inspired life

-Staying eager to learn

-Stay connected to ‘the source’

-Stay close to your passion

2. Working masterly

-Keep on creating masterpieces throughout work

-Stay open for feedback

-Preserve focus and quality

3. Healthy leadership

-Mentoring and coaching others

-Providing vision and direction

-Building and undertaking

4. Maintaining relations

-Being part of a team, community, tribe

-Being good to yourself

-Maintaining friendships

5. Resilience

-Developing a lifestyle of resilience

-Combining positivism, optimism and realism

-Moderation, a healthy life-rhythm en

Gotten curios? Follow our blogs, in which I will reveal more about the 5 secrets of ‘mastery’! Or read our new book: ‘meesterschap’.

But for now, try to find a moment to get some rest, by (for example) listening to Janine Jansen and how she plays the Violin Concerto in E minor by Mendelssohn.

Enjoy,

Paul