Mastery
 

Have you ever truly mastered something (the ability to do x at will and nearly to perfection each time) worthwhile? What is/was it, at what expense did you obtain said mastery and once you obtained it, would you do it again with the advantage of hind-sight??

Good question. I'd have to say I'm a "jack of all trades, master of none" kinda guy myself. My career field evolves too often to truly master what we do. In my personal life, I'm passably good at everything I try my hand at, but have yet to find the passion in one thing to take the time to master it.

I am master of my domain, and doesn't cost a dime.

As a teenager I was a master debator but it did not involve arguments or discussions.

Flying and fighting an H-60 helicopter.

I could make it sing and dance, and if you don't believe me I'll punch you in the pants:D

Didn't cost me a thing; you guys, on the other hand...

I wouldn't start again today, but would certainly do it all over again. Seriously, I got to the point where I felt and knew exactly what the machine was telling me, an almost sympathetic relationship if that makes any sense.

i can bait things.

mastery of baiting. master baiter!

I was able to master flipping an empty beer bottle from the bar to a behind the back catch. Blindfolded always garnered the most tips.
'

I've always been quite coordinated.
Anything that requires balance and a sense of where my body parts are, I've done well at.
For Ex: First time water skiing, got right up and never fell down all the times I skied that day.
Dancing, athletics, operating machines, bicycles, motorcycles, cars, etc. ...all have been easy for me.
Nothing required of me, however, I was born with it...can't take credit.
So maybe not so much of a "master".

Sports have always been easy for me too. I was sixteen before I had any idea that not everyone can see a ball come off a bat 250 feet away, know right away where it was going to land and run to that spot. Can't run since that car wreck 3 years ago, hurts to throw too.

I can do limb salvage surgery like nobody's business.

Could not even tell you how many people are walking around and the only one that thought it would work was me.

Guitar mastery has been a 30 year pursuit. Very worth it. Luckily you can enjoy it and make great music without being a true "master" of it. Actually I think what makes one a "master" of an instrument is extremely subjective and has to be judged in context.

Impressive! I'd say that's true mastery.

I've mastered AutoCAD. I can get drawings done faster than anyone I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot.

I mastered Asteroids (arcade game) in the early 80's. I could fill up my entire screen with extra ships, could play for hours without losing one. Too bad that doesn't count as worthwhile, cause I owned that byotch.

Alpine skiing.

I started at 15, and it was a frustrating struggle for a few years, learning the sport, as I could only afford wooden skis with screwed on edges. Then I scraped together enough money from my summer job to buy a new pair of Heads, and within a few months I was doing linked parallel turns. Got instructor and ski patrol certifications later, and at 66, I'm still enjoying the sport.

Nowadays, I need a break every two hours or so, when the quads start hurting :D , but parabolic skis really cut down the effort.

It has cost a lot of dough over the years, but you pay as you go, and I'd do it all over again.

http://rinty.smugmug.com/Other/sprin...L/image-XL.jpg

making pizza.

Like Seahawk, I was able to master several types of aircraft in my career prior to retiring.

Favourite? The Gulfstream IVSP. Any weight, any temp, direct climb to 41,000' off a 5500 runway.

Next fav? The B-747-400. Two guys up front. Almost 400 pax. Three quarters of a million pounds at gross.

37 years, 26,000+ hours airbourne. No accidents, no incidents, no violations, no injuries, no scratched paint.

I do have trouble with my 'smartphone' from time to time.

I mastered flight too! Got a roll of plans, ordered a crap load of wood, fabric and steel and after six years, voilà 1989 to present still going strong! and yes I plan on building another:

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...ormation-1.jpg

Interesting question:.... I'd say at a certainly point we've all mastered what life is... to a point. Point of course is that none of us truly "master" anything but rather continue to try for those moments of mastery.
Myself? Became what most would see as a "master" of the martial arts style Isshinryu Karate. Competed as the youngest man in the masters division in the world championships of 1995. Many times as years have gone by my sensei has wanted to advance me to higher levels of blackbelt but my response is always the same. "I've come further than I ever expected already and I'm always a student of the way and certainly not a master".
In my job prior I was a master carpenter and master cabinet maker from years of labor...
My current job as a construction inspector I'm a Master Code Professional... highest level of certification there is... but it's just a title that my boss likes having a MCP on staff.
Final thought..... "Master" is just a term put to years of patient study and success that in my opinion only shows your ability to continue to learn.... Those things that came easily you learned nothing from... only sweat,anguish , and pain provide the best lessons.

I agree. Mobile a/c, vanilla ice cream and smoked pulled pork. Some restrictions due to conditions do apply.

If you define mastery as "better than 99% of the population", then yeah, I have mastered several things. However, humbly, I think I have a long ways to go with everything I do.

I agree 100%!

Being a master at anything is not easy. There are things I don't suck at, but that's a far cry from being a master.