The Journey to Mastery: Feeling Good About Your Art

I walk into a house it is 110 degrees and work for 2 hours on average. When I leave, it is 80 degrees, and the happy customers pay me $420. We are both happy.

Enjoyment. I have always enjoyed doing every job I was hired for. It wasn’t that they weren’t hard or didn’t have moments that made one wonder why I was there; it was embracing the job wholeheartedly. However, what truly makes me feel great about all the jobs I’ve held is that they allowed me to retire early, happy, and fulfilled. If you’re in a job that doesn’t make you happy, you really need to find one that brings joy. Enjoyment is a key factor in long-term job satisfaction.

3 Key Elements of Job Satisfaction

There are three elements that often contribute to my job satisfaction:

Gratitude from Customers. Expressions of gratitude or compliments for a job well done can make a naturally high-stress occupation much more pleasant. A gesture of thanks is worth much more than the infuriating customers who are irate and disrespectful, reeking of skunky weed or other foul odors, and who spit when they talk. Coffee. A nice cup of coffee can make dealing with difficult people much less aggravating and draining—even if it’s decaf. It’s a small moment of comfort that can make a big difference. My Paycheck. From a pragmatic perspective, my occupation funds what I want to do and pays for what I need, which is the most important aspect. When an unpleasant or trying customer walks in, I’m probably picturing your face as a dollar sign. Knowing that the paycheck is reliable can add to job satisfaction.

Mastering Your Art: Embracing the Journey

Stop comparing yourself to others. There are three questions you need to address:

Who am I? What is going on? How do I fit into it?

The answers to these questions will change as you go through life. If your art reflects your effort to answer these questions, you should feel good about it. Somewhere, I heard that the great violinist Itzhak Perlman held a workshop and said, “You have to understand I am as far away from my goal as you are from yours.” In other words, your ability will always lag behind your aspiration. The point is to be on the path, not to reach a final destination. There is no final destination in any art form; being on the path is the destination.

Conclusion: Embrace the Path of Mastery

The journey to mastery is not about achieving perfection but about embracing the process. It’s about understanding who you are, what is happening in your life, and how you fit into it. As you work on your art, keep your focus on your personal development and the journey itself. If you are consistently working towards answering these three questions, you are already on the right path. Enjoy the journey and feel good about the progress you are making.