Choosing Your Master Teachers – An Essential Step for Long-Term Success
Luke Skywalker, in Star Wars, had Obi-Wan Kenobi, and then Yoda.
Luke Skywalker, in Star Wars, was coached by Jedi Master Yoda.
Young Daniel LaRusso, in The Karate Kid, had Mr. Miyagi. And Harry Potter, in both books and movies, has had Professor Dumbledore.
What do these young men all have in common?
They’ve all set out on their Heroic Quests.
Who Is a Master Teacher?
Professor Dumbledore has been Harry Potter’s Master Teacher.
When we work with a Master Teacher, we are learning something that is “outside the box” of normalcy.
We are learning – in essence – how to master the Force.
A Master Teacher meets three very challenging criteria. (That’s why there are not too many of them.)
- Be skilled in an area that is difficult, demanding, and arduous – one in which there may be many who talk, but few who really know how to do “the real thing,”
- Be one of the most knowledgeable persons in the world about the one particular area in which he or she is “Master,” and
- Be committed to teaching in a life-transforming way.
When Do We Really Need a Master Teacher?
It’s simple.
We need a Master Teacher when our survival – or the survival of something even more important than our life – is at stake.
- Luke Skywalker didn’t really put himself in the hands of Obi-Wan, and then Yoda, until he knew that it was up to him to rescue Princess Leia.
- Daniel wouldn’t have done the “wax on, wax off” for Mr. Miyagi if he were not in grave danger of being beaten up – every single day – by the school bully.
- Harry Potter wouldn’t have committed himself so deeply to being Professor Dumbledore’s protégé if he were not in a life-threatening situation; book after book. (And movie after movie.)
Studying with a Master Teacher Is Never Easy
What do we know – from all our books and movies, our myths and legends – about studying with a Master Teacher?
Don Diego coaches protege Murrieta in The Mask of Zorro.
It’s never easy.
To be reminded of this, we only need to see this YouTube clip of Alejandro Murrieta (Antonio Banderas), studying with Don Diego de la Vega (Anthony Hopkins) in The Mask of Zorro.
Never easy. And always necessary.
Would Murrieta have won if he’d just signed up for lessons with a local fencing master? Would he have fought off Don Rafael Montero and his troops as brilliantly? Would he have won the hand of beautiful Elena?
Probably not.
Master Teachers are tough. They’re demanding. And sometimes, they’re essential if we’re to bring our dreams to fruition.
Some Master Teachers Come Via Books
Not every encounter with a Master Teacher needs to be face-to-face. Personal study, of course, is ideal. With today’s technology, a dedicated Master Teacher can coach students using a wide range of options.
But some of our most insightful, powerful, and effective Master Teachers are long since gone.
Thankfully, we can still study with them. We can read their books.
Ralph Waldo Emerson said that ‘A man is known by the books he reads.’
Reading – if we allow it to – can have a powerful influence on our lives.
As Ralph Waldo Emerson said:
“A man is known by the books he reads, by the company he keeps …”
Notice that the first thing that Emerson cited – as a primary influence – was “the books he reads.”
Sun Tzu – One of the World’s Greatest Military Strategists
Sun Tzu, 544-496 BCE; Chinese general and military strategist, author of “The Art of War.”
There are some books that influence generations. The Bible would be one such book. Another would The Art of War, by the brilliant Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu.
Sun Tzu’s book, The Art of War, has influenced countless military, political, and business leaders up through current times. Not only did Sun Tzu’s guidance bring about the first unification of China, but he strongly influenced the later evolving Japanese samurai warrior class.
Later, Napoleon relied on a newly-translated version of The Art of War as he laid out his European campaigns.
Allied commanders, in Operation Fortitude, relied heavily on one of the key Art of War strategies in misleading Axis forces prior to the Allied D-Day invasion.
What If You Could Be Coached by Sun Tzu Today?
Sun Tzu’s book, The Art of War, is a fairly straightforward read. However, applying it to business today takes a lot of thought, and a lot of deciphering.
The reason?
Sun Tzu wrote about troops, terrain, and maneuver.
Business leaders today deal with products and pricing, with marketing.
In launching a book, product, or service, you are becoming a thought-leader.
You are seeking to gain mindshare – your equivalent of “conquering terrain.”
Sun Tzu’s guidance – properly interpreted – can be essential to your strategic marketing.
But in order to take advantage of his insights and guidance, you need to interpret The Art of War into your own reference frame. You need a personal Rosetta Stone; one that will translate Sun Tzu’s world of troops, terrain, and maneuver into ideas, mindshare, and marketing.
You can make Sun Tzu one of your own, private Master Teachers.
The secret? Get the Online Guide that translates Sun Tzu’s guidance into specifics that are relevant for your online business, today.
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When you join me, you’ll receive an immediate email with a link to my Online Guide, Sun Tzu’s Genius – Coaching Your Own Business Marketing.
Then, I’ll follow up. You’ll get regular emails coaching you with specifics – from Sun Tzu, and from other legendary leaders – giving you strategic advice on cultivating your campaign.
Don’t let another moment pass by without accessing, reading, and internalizing the wisdom of the greatest general who has ever lived. Use the Opt-In form above, and apply his insights to your business today!