Monday Moanin' -- Developing The Expert Mind

When I awaken on Monday morning, all I can hear is the sound of the workaday world nagging me to tie up loose ends, take care of business, act responsibly, etc., etc. The laissez-faire weekend is over — no more lazing and grazing in front of some endless sporting event (this time around it was the finals of the Australian Open at 3am), smoking a rack of pork ribs for twelve hours or playing soccer with my beloved nephew, Jacob. Monday, Monday…..

I have so many half-baked projects and grandiose desires on the back-burner of my brain that it drives me a little crazy sometimes. In descending order, I'd like to finish a play and a bunch of short fiction pieces that I've started; learn to use some complicated music software more effectively; clean up the clutter of CD's, books and gadgets I've accumulated over the years and, last but not least — work on my golf swing, which is in serious need of concerted effort and attention.

As many diehards will try to tell you, the humble golf swing is a project of a lifetime, something you never pretend will be perfected, especially given how much raw time it takes to nurture and develop. I was recently on a few assignments for Golfweek magazine in Maui and Arizona, and received two intense, hour-long lessons from a couple of respected golf professionals. I learned a few fundamental things that made me wonder: Why did it take me 45 years of golfing to learn principles I should have acquired and practiced from the get-go?

The reason I'm obsessing over the golf swing this morning is because it is a great metaphor for a bigger discussion — how follow-through and repetition are the keys to achievement in any realm. Whether playing the piano or learning to meditate, acquiring a foreign language or attempting to improve one's health, all that matters is consistency and habit — doing the same task over and over 'til conscious thought evaporates and the "invisible hand" takes over.

The beautiful thing about being enslaved to a task — whether artistic or athletic or intellectual — is that it debunks the notion that genius is a matter of genes and not raw effort and repetition. Psychologists talk about the "expert mind" and "effortful study," which entail tackling challenges that lie just beyond one's competence. A novice can make great strides in the beginning of a new pursuit, but soon reaches a level of surface satisfaction that invites relaxation and inattention.

According to K. Anders Ericcson of Florida State, "the experts-in-training keep the lid of their mind open all the time, so that they can inspect, criticize and augment its contents and thereby approach the standard set by leaders in their fields." In his formulation, success at any task amounts to this: Focused Attention + Reflection + Knowledge of What Constitutes High Quality + Commitment to Improvement = Expertise. That takes the mysticism out of a Chopin Nocturne, a poem by Keats or even a figure skater executing a triple toe loop. Doing it every day, day after day, with the right kind of attention, produces beauty and precision! There are no shortcuts to perfection.

I believe that it's important for children of any age — even we of the prescription drug and reading glasses set — to know that the beginner's mind is our most valuable asset, and that we are only in need of a little soil, sunlight and daily watering to grow exotic flowers from our hoary heads. In AA the mantra is "One day at a time," which is not half-bad advice when it comes to any creative endeavor: Keep doing what you did yesterday, do that again tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow and watch what happens. Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither was Einstein's Theory of Relativity. 

Mondays — ya gotta love 'em! But don't take them for granted — they only come 52 times a year so use them while you have them…..