Mastery is a fascinating concept because, strangely, we do not currently have a good modern definition for it. We confuse mastery with skill, status, output, achievement, or expertise. Even the dictionary definitions usually describe mastery as someone being highly competent at something or having control over a particular skill. But for me, that misses the deeper point entirely.

One of the great conundrums of life is that we need purpose.

Without a sense of direction, movement, or meaningful pursuit, life can quickly become flat. There is a restlessness that emerges in human beings when we feel we are drifting. We are not built simply to exist. We are built to move towards something.

There is a quiet truth that sits beneath much of modern life, and once you see it, it becomes difficult to ignore:

If you have to say it, you’re not it.

We live in a world where signalling has, in many ways, overtaken substance…