It helps me to look around and see who the modern-day masters are, for inspiration. And one of my favorites is a jovial midwestern woman who calls herself Flylady. Sure, she'll try to sell you a feather duster and a calendar, but you can also join her email list for free and get loving reminders such as, "Where is your laundry?" and "What's for dinner?". She is a master of the household, which is no easy thing, but moreover, she is anti-perfectionism.

No matter how filthy your domain, she tells you to jump right in and clean for fifteen minutes. That's it. No excuses, no perfectionism, just fifteen minutes. One can also babystep one's way into her cleaning routine, or explore the nuances of a shiny kitchen sink. But those fifteen minutes beyond judgement are the key. It gets me over the hump of never being good enough and into the realm of action, and I'm able to joyfully hack away at my task, imperfect though I may be, because doing something badly is better than wallowing in the thought that I'll never do it well enough.

I'll have more to say about mastery, I'm sure, but in the meantime I'm curious: what is it that you want to master?