Drew Rozell, Ph.D.

Author and Coach

To be a Master of Your Life

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Mastery is about the subtle.

Mastery is about distinctions; the fine slices that reveal worlds of difference.

Mastery is about the fine tuning. The really fine tuning. The note not played. The crop of the photo. Le mot juste.

Mastery is about distinguishing between delicate shades of grey.

 

It’s all in the detail.

And detail requires focus, attention, study.

 

If you love learning, if you love watching the evolution of your life unfolding in better and better ways, the practice underneath become a master of your life is not drudgery… or the “price you have to pay…” Sacrifice and suffering are very different roads than mastery.

Mastery feels pleasurable because mastery is a pure expression of alignment.

You are a true master when you allow it to be easy. And simple.

 

One of the great, consistent thrills in my life comes from the discovery of a tiny new key that unlocks a massive door… the single thought that changes how I see and live in the world going forward.

And it’s even more fun to share the ideas with those who resonate fun of living the Master Creators of their lives.

 

 

Cutting Down The Nets

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Jim Valvano
Jim Valvano cutting down the nets.

In 1983, I remember being in 8th grade science class, pretending to do lab work. Instead, a group of us debated who would win the night’s men’s NCAA Championship basketball game.

I remember a boy named Tom saying that it wasn’t a question if the heavily favored Houston Cougars would win, but rather whether they would allow North Carolina State to cross half court with the ball.

I agreed with Tom and was as stunned as the rest of the viewing world when NC State pulled the huge upset at the buzzer.

ESPN recently did a documentary on the Wolfpack’s amazing run to the championship. (Great, improbable story. See below)

The players gathered to recount how their coach devoted an entire practice to cutting down the nets. No dribbling. No shooting. No passing. Just cutting down the nets. One by one, every player got to snip a loop. (If you’re no sports junkie, this is a traditional way to celebrate a championship).

Realistically, this team had no reason to think they could win it all. But their coach, Jim Valvano believed. And he understood that in order to create something you FIRST MUST BE ABLE TO IMAGINE IT.

He showed his players how to imagine, how to FEEL their desires NOW instead of later.

 

When they cut down the nets after their win, they said it all felt familiar. They knew just how it was all going to go…

After all, they had done it before.

 

It’s not a complicated formula. You become what you allow yourself to imagine.

However, in the face of “reality,” it’s an easy habit to set aside. We’d don’t allow ourselves to imagine much.

Who’s got time to dream with all this work to do?

Don’t be fooled.

The real work is in the imagining.

The rest is details.

 

 

If you’re inspired to watch, I found the whole hour episode online.

Getting Older

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I don’t think about my age much.

Oh, sure… I use moisturizer now. I’m conscious of using sunscreen. I’ve been known to dab some Just For Men (sorry ladies!) on my beard when I’ve had enough of the white. And these days, hangovers hang over too long.

 

But I don’t usually know how old I am without doing some math first.

I don’t really FEEL any older in my body than I did a couple of decades ago.

When I hear people tell me what they’ve given up on something because of some age-related reason/excuse, I always feel a little sad for them.

Really? You don’t think you can anymore? Really?

Once you stop, starting again becomes less likely.

 

I am always inspired at the ski lodges in the morning.

The other day, I chatted with an older woman (mid sixties?) as we clamped our ski boots. She’d been out skiing the previous two days and told me to expect some wonderful conditions. I loved how happy she seemed. I loved her zest. I loved the fact that she appeared to be skiing alone.

Looking around the lodges, I see older skiers everywhere. And they never strike me as old, they strike me as alive.

This will be me, one day.

 

A local paper did an article about a 90-year old man who still loves to ski, skate, and golf. When asked what keeps him out there, he mentioned that he wasn’t afraid of getting hurt… a key point, I thought… something I see that stops lots of people.

And I really liked this quote by him –

“Don’t tell yourself you’re too old to do it….

You’re too old because you don’t do it.”