Bow Before Me

They say that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become a master of anything.

I’ve been pondering this lately, because there are a few things I’d like to master for myself. I’d love to master meditation, for example. And I decided to learn to play guitar; being a master of the guitar would be really cool, I think. At the same time that I want to obtain this mastery, I’m also pondering the inescapable truth that true Mastery can never really be achieved. It’s like a mathematical limit: it can be approached but never really reached.

That number of hours of practice seems to really stick in my head, for some reason.

I think because it’s so concrete, so solid and seemingly within reach. As a human being, I have the time to devote to piling up 10,000 hours of practice with my new guitar; I can spend time each day in meditation, I can put aside a few hours every week to gain Mastery over my mind. That’s doable. Admittedly, it’s a huge goal, and not everyone would be willing to put forth that much effort over the long term. But everything worth attaining is worth working for.

Let me put this into perspective for you.

I’ve already, in my lifetime, spent that requisite 10,000 hours in studying philosophy, psychology and religions. I’ve put that much effort already into learning and playing French Horn. I’ve spent 10,000 hours learning, practicing and participating in kink and fetish events. I’ve studied shibari (rope bondage), flogging, single tail whips, sensory play, pegging and strappon play, impact play, altered states of consciousness and power exchange. Can I say that I have already attained mastery over these things? Perhaps, but I don’t think that I shall, because as much as I have learned and experienced, I know only one thing to be true:

There is always more to learn, and more to practice.

So, here’s to another 10,000 hours of practice; may your practice bring you as much joy and bliss as mine brings to me!