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The Art of Designing Your Own Apprenticeship http://ift.tt/1NfiXYs @jeffgoins #blogging

A friend of mine wrote a book about how she’s always longed to go to Paris, to live the romantic life. But recently, she resigned to the fact that she won’t go to Paris. At least, not right now. And she’s okay with that. Because Paris, for my friend, is not something out there; it’s what’s right in front of her.

The Art of Designing Your Own Apprenticeship

I love that. She’s given up on the veneer of a life captured on Instagram and in blog posts, rejected the promise of fulfillment that a certain city can bring. And instead, she’s embracing the life she has to live right now, where she is. And I think there’s a secret to success buried in there: What if the thing you’ve always wanted was right in front of you?

The other weekend, I hosted a conference of 150 people from all over who had come together to learn how to build an audience around their messages. At the conference, we kept bringing up the metaphor of the “table.” For us, this meant the place where exchange happens, where life is shared and lives are changed.

We had people sit at round tables and told them to discuss each speech delivered from stage, sharing what they learned and helping one another apply the lessons. One of the most powerful takeaways from the event was this: the table that you’re called to is not some foreign network you hope invites you to sit down. No, the table where breakthrough will happen is the one you’re sitting at right now.

And that little idea changes everything.

The Accidental Apprenticeship

In the Middle Ages, a young person worked for free in exchange for experience, room, and board. The student, called an “apprentice,” would live sometimes in the same house as the master, sharing meals with the craftsman’s family. This was the way a person became a professional, and the process began as early as age twelve.

After completing the first stage of apprenticeship, the student, who was now called a “journeyman,” could venture out and travel to other cities, working on his own. What a journeyman could not do, however, was take on apprentices. That right was reserved only for masters.

In many ways, a journeyman was still a student, though now able to be paid for his work. To be a journeyman meant applying the techniques your teacher passed down to see if they worked in the real world. It was a test, to see if you had what it took to become a master. There was a certain amount of restlessness to being a journeyman. It meant you hadn’t found your place in the world yet.

After a season of wandering, a journeyman had to submit a masterpiece to the local guild. If they found it worthy, the journeyman could graduate to the title of master, being accepted into the guild and finally able to take on apprentices. Then the process would start all over again.

How much time do you think this process of apprenticeship took?

Ten years. That’s how long it took to master a trade. An apprenticeship was an excellent way of learning a skill under the guidance of someone wiser and more experienced. But as the popularity of universities grew and the guild system declined, the ancient art of diving deep into a craft all but disappeared.

In modern times, though, the responsibility for reaching your potential is often left up to the individual. This is more than a challenge; it’s a cruel taunt. How can a person be all she’s supposed to be if she doesn’t know who she is, if she doesn’t have some example to aspire to?

Pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps can only take us so far, and despite what we’ve heard, there is no such thing as a self-made man. We are all products of our environment, influenced by the people we encounter and the places we live. Born into this world with zero ability, we cannot talk, much less feed or clean our- selves, on our own. We need help.

You cannot master a skill on your own. Finding your calling will not happen without the aid and assistance of others. Every story of success is, in fact, a story of community. Some people will help you willingly, while others may contribute to your education on accident. But if you are wise, you can use it all.

“No man is an island,” John Donne wrote, and this is better news than we realize. We are all sharing the same path as we march toward our destinies. Your journey, though unique, is full of fellow sojourners, as well as teachers who will help along the way. Your job is not to find them but to recognize them when they appear.

This is what I called an “accidental apprenticeship.” Here’s how it works.

Designing your own apprenticeship

First, you must decide what you want to learn. Writing fiction? Ballet? Underwater basket weaving? Try to get specific as possible. Listen to your life and pay attention to what it says.

Second, identify a community of people you have access to. Find someone you know who can introduce you to someone in the group. This is where most people miss the mark. Don’t look for a mentor; look for a group of them. Most mentoring nowadays is not between individuals but amongst peers who are all learning from each other. In fact, even in the Middle Ages, this was often the case. In the studio of a master artisan or artist, there were sometimes over a dozen students all working together under the tutelage of a teacher, but also learning from each other.

Third, use the group resources to help everyone achieve their goals. If the group is not already meeting together, and this is likely, it’s your job to call them together. Help everyone understand what each individual brings to the table and encourage them to join the group so that they can share their talents and everyone can benefit.

This was what happened to me three years ago and how my local mastermind group was founded. I didn’t start it. Three people I barely knew got together and decided they wanted to get the best business minds they knew in a room together. So each of the three founders asked three other people, and that’s how the twelve of us met.

Today, I’m having that group of friends over to my house to grill out and spend time together. Our kids will play together, we will laugh and joke together, and eventually someone will bring up some struggle he is having about something — or someone will give someone else advice. That’s just what happens when we hang out. And when we all leave later tonight, we will all have learned something from each other.

These men are not far and distant heroes of mine. They’re dear friends. This was not the table I hoped I would be invited to. It was one I didn’t even know existed. And every week, we share our lives with each other.

Sometimes, we get the wrong idea when we see a person succeed. We think that the biggest networks with access to the most famous and important people are where growth happens. But most often, extraordinary success is the result of everyday effort that gets magnified by a small group of people. Usually, these people do not have to be any special group. They just have to be committed to each other and gathered around a common cause.

This is where that old quote by Margaret Mead rings true:

Don’t ever say that the efforts of a small group of people can’t change the world. indeed, they’re the ones who always have.

Forming your table

At the Tribe Conference, when we were saying goodbyes on the last day, I was pleased to see people who sat together all weekend exchanging phone numbers and email addresses. They got it. Community creates opportunity.

When we pull our chairs around any given table, we create community — both for ourselves and those around us. And here’s what I’ve learned so far: There’s always more room at the table. And if you don’t have a seat yet, then you just might be called to be the person who pulls up the first chair.

And in case you missed our little gathering, here are some snapshots as told by the attendees themselves:

What are you trying to master? Who is already sitting at the table with you? Who do you need to invite? Share in the comments.



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