What comes after mastery?

The first day of my fifteenth month of running a mile each day.

My quadricep muscles are still really stiff. I think I was being slightly overconfident by not stretching after Sunday's half marathon.

When will I ever learn when it comes to stretching?

I have now finished Daniel Pink's excellent book "Drive". In the book, Daniel Pink suggests that there are three key things that are most important to us when it comes to motivation.

The first is autonomy, which is not necessarily the same as independence. It's the ability to choose what we work on, when we work and who we work with, either within or outside an organisation.

The second key is to have the opportunity to develop mastery in what really interests us. This is the type of work that every now and then lets us experience the phenomenon that's known as "flow".

It's not about attaining mastery. Is it actually ever possible to do that? If it is, what comes after mastery?

The final key is to have the sense that what we are doing is contributing to something that is more important than ourselves and also more important than profit alone. This is what we might call purpose or making a difference.

Autonomy, mastery and purpose. Sounds like something worth aiming for, and in a funny way my experience in Sunday's half marathon ticked all those boxes.

Gooey and idealistic

Back home again and a couple of miles under my belt in the fog this morning. I quite enjoyed the eerie feeling of running in the fog in the dark with the strange glow that my head torch created.

I have discovered from Daniel Pink's book that apparently I am a Type I and my "behaviour promotes greater physical and mental well-being. So that's good, isn't it.

It was funny how yesterday morning I posed the question, "Is it because I'm an idealist and lack realism?"

Later in the day I discovered that Mr Pink thinks I don't lack realism, which is also very reassuring.

He says, "Some might dismiss notions like these as gooey and idealistic, but the science says otherwise. The science confirms that this sort of behaviour is essential to being human - and that now, in a rapidly changing economy, it is also critical for professional, personal, and organisational success of any kind."

So, it looks like I might be on the right track after all. :oD