I have just completed reading a book that I think many of you will either be interested in buying, or at least hearing a summary of.

I originally bought this book, as part of a book collection called the "Personal MBA". (Lots of books and reading that give you the knowledge you would normally get in an MBA program). I by no means thought that I'd learn anything related to health and fitness.

Oh did I ever.

The book argues you can take any activity and you'll find people performing at four different levels of participation. Which one are you? I suspect that most of us with motivation problems are the "Dabbler" or the "Obsessive".

1. The Dabbler

The Dabbler's learning curve rises very quickly, meets an obstacle and then drops to zero, since the dabbler gives up the activity and goes on to another; repeating the same curve on different activities.

2. The Obsessive

The Obsessive's learning curve rises quickly, meets obstacles, which The Obsessive tackles by redoubling his effort, getting more books and tools and trying to figure out ways to get better results faster and cheaper, and then burns out in a short while when he finds that the curve is not a straight line upwards.

3. The Hacker

The Hacker's learning curve rises quickly, meets an obstacle or two and then plateaus out on a straight line. The Hacker doesn't consider the need for more instruction or rising above that level. He is content with level reached and plans to stay at that level.

4. The Master

The Master's learning curve rises quickly, drops slightly, plateaus for a while, and with consistent practice, rises again, slightly subsides and plateaus again for a while and so on. The Master, knows that Mastery is a lifetime path. The Master enjoys those times in which he/she is on the plateau. The Master knows that while he is on the plateau, learning is happening and practice will inevitably raise him to a higher level.

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So, how do we avoid the first three, and try to lead the path of mastery with health and fitness?

The book recommends:

Key 1: INSTUCTION

Instruction comes in many forms. For mastering most skills, there's nothing better than being in the hands of a master teacher, either one-to-one or in a small group. But there are also books, films, tapes, computer learning programs, computerized simulators, group instruction, the classroom, knowledgeable friends, counselors, business associates, even "the street." Still, the individual teacher or coach can serve as a standard for all forms of instruction, the first and brightest beacon.

Key 2: PRACTICE

Here's an old joke that appears in many versions but always sends the same message. A couple on their way to a concert are lost in New York's Lower East Side. They stop to question a bearded elder.

"Excuse us, how do you get to Carnegie Hall?" they ask.
"Practice!" he tells them.

For one who is on the master's journey, however, the word is best conceived of as a noun, not as something you do, but as something you have, something you are. In this sense, the word is akin to the Chinese word tao and the Japanese word do, both of which mean, literally, road or path. Practice is the path upon which you travel, just that. A practice (as a noun) can be anything you practice on a regular basis as an integral part of your life--not in order to gain something else, but for its own sake. It might be a sport or a martial art. It might be gardening or bridge or yoga or meditation or community service.

Key 3: SURRENDER

The early stages of any significant new learning invoke the spirit of the fool. It's almost inevitable that you'll feel clumsy, that you'll take literal or figurative pratfalls. There's no way around it. The beginner who stands on his or her dignity becomes rigid, armored; the learning can't get through. This doesn't mean that you should surrender your own physical and moral center or passively accept teachings that would be bad for you. But you must trust your instructor to some degree, and now's the time for a certain suspension of disbelief. So your teacher asks you to begin by putting your finger on your nose and standing on one foot. Unless there's some compelling reason to contrary, just give it a try. Don't fight the process; surrender.

Key 4: INTENTIONALITY

It joins old words with new -- character, willpower, attitude, imaging, the mental game -- but what I'm calling intentionality, however you look at it, is an essential to take along on the master's journey. The power of the mental game came to public awareness in the 1970s through the revelations of some of the nation's most notable sports figures. Golfer Jack Nicklaus, for example, let it be known that he never hit a shot without first clearly visualizing the ball's perfect flight and its triumphant destination, "sitting up there high and white and pretty on the green." A successful shot, Nicklaus told us, was 50 percent visualization, 40 percent setup, and only 10 percent swing.

Key 5: THE EDGE

Now we come, as come we must in anything of real consequence, to a seeming contradiction, a paradox. Almost without exception, those we know as masters are dedicated to the fundamentals of their calling. They are zealots of practice, connoisseurs of the small, incremental step. At the same time--and here's the paradox--these people, these masters, are precisely the ones who are likely to challenge previous limits, to take risks for the sake of higher performance, and even to become obsessive at times in that pursuit. Clearly, for them the key is not either/or, it's both/and.

Playing the edge is a balancing act. it demands the awareness to know when you're pushing yourself beyond safe limits. In this awareness, the man or woman on the path of mastery sometimes makes a conscious decision to do just that. We see this clearly in running, a sport so pure, so explicit that everything is likely to come quickly into full view. Running fast and hard almost always demands playing the edge, and it can't be denied that runners and would-be runners should be offered safe and sensible programs and warned against the dangers and pitfalls of their practice.

[Summary from the 5 keys to mastery]

The reality is, getting fit and healthy is so frustrating because we all don't get the immediate results we want. That, or we seem some initially, but we don't get the results after results after results that we expect to see.

The key here is to remember that those lull times, in which the book calls plateau's are where we need to take comfort in the fact that we are doing the right thing, and the results will come eventually. Savor the practice, savor the workout itself and stay motivated.

I highly recommend this book, which is written by Akido instructor George Leonard. You will be able to apply the principles of this book not only to fitness, but your hobbies, love, and life in general. Buy the book here (There is no affiliate link here, I am not trying to make money off this. The book seriously is good)