A wise educator counselled one of my children years ago as they made the tentative step from primary to secondary school. The teacher suggested that each child should be encouraged to select a subject or school activity that they most enjoy and did well at; and then aim to be in the top 10% of the class just for that course. The suggested strategy to focus and excel in a single area or subject to attain positive mastery was noted to have been proven to provide the young person with all of the essential elements of experience required for broader success – practice, purpose, achievement, acknowledgement, tolerance for competition, strategy, diligence, resilience, satisfaction etc.

For both my child, and myself, it was a powerful conversation, and greatly supported a staged and manageable approach to the overwhelming high school transition. What I have come to realise since is that this very sage piece of advice is in fact a very helpful ‘life hack’.

In my clinical practice and supervisor role I often council clinicians to ‘find their passion or calling’ within the mission of the work. Most of us are flat footed if asked to identify passion in our work life, much like the student at school. I find that if we are able to identify the thing we are most often ‘thanked for’, this can be soft sign post to what we enjoy most. Once we have a hint of what we do for others that ‘adds unique value’ we can then step forward to offer this skill often. In doing this we grow in confidence as we satisfy the needs of others. With confidence comes our willingness to take on new challenges and experiment or innovate. We all know when we bring forward our most confident creative self that is when the ‘magic’ happens. So let’s support each other to invest in windows of mastery and lets together watch the doors open to so many opportunities for growth and achievement.