The reality we experience is the result of our beliefs. Our beliefs, in turn, are often shaped by those around us—our parents, our friends, and our teachers. But what if the people around you don’t share your values? Or they don’t inspire you to live up to your potential? For a long time now, I’ve been fascinated by how some people seem to know exactly what they want out of life and achieve their goals while others struggle or even fail at theirs.

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There is much to be learned from a pirate’s life. For example, pirates are independent thinkers and always ready for adventure. They’re good with their hands and never shy away from a challenge. They know how to live outside the box, they’re not afraid of failure, and they don’t take no for an answer! In fact, if there is one thing we can learn from pirates it’s how to be an effective leader:

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If you don’t have trust in a team, you don’t have a team. You have a collection of people assigned to work together. In late 2015 I was very excited to get my dream assignment. I went to specialized training and thought this was what I would do for the rest of my life. When I arrived at my new “team,” I was welcomed with suspicion and two-faced interactions. The cut-throat attitude caught me off guard. I lost that opportunity within the year because I wasn’t prepared to adopt the culture and was pushed out. That collection of individuals could have been a fantastic team. Unfortunately, trust wasn’t part of their culture.

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What is mastery? Mastery is the ability to understand something to the level in which not only can you teach others, but you are able to innovate on that one thing and grow that knowledge beyond what came before you. 

It is like getting a PhD versus just a master’s degree. A master’s degree allows you a high level of competence, but a PhD gives you the ability to take that knowledge to something new.

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