The author who wrote 701 (!) books

Now this is truly inspiring. I just had a phone call with a musician, a great friend of mine, from Hungary. He told me about a Hungarian novelist who just released his... hold yourself... seven-hundred and first book.

701.

*using the calculator*... That's around 14 books a year for half a century. 

Now, I haven't read his books, since they are mostly published in hungarian, but what I know is, that he's a well known and accomplished author in his country (you can look him up here). And if someone is consistent, I thought, then he.

But there was something else that astonished me. This author (his name is Istvan Nemere) seems to know his craft. Writing novels and refining his skills is just what he does and did for the past 50 years. 

...And once you attain mastery at something, things seem to come easier to you.

Like brushing your teeth. I did that more than 701 times (pha, here you go) perhaps around 20'000 times in my short life.

And I know, with time and practice, it gets easier - until it becomes a part of you - you don't think but you simply do.

Another example: Driving a car - such a complex thing, multi-tasking at its finest - but every driver who gets used to driving after a while knows that there's almost a "becoming one" with the car while driving - subconsciously. There's not much sel-doubt or procrastination involved but rather... just... the doing itself.

I'm sure, to write 14 novels a year, there is not much time to be wasted for self-doubts or other self-sabotaging acts created by fear. And it would be weird for me too if I suddenly had fears of brushing my own teeth. 

Even though: I wasn't born a toothbrush master. (no, no, no. That was hard work!)

But with practice and consistency things get easier and we become better.

The problem with aging: 

The sooner we grow up the more likely we are sidetracked with self-doubts. Kids generally don't have that much of self-doubts, they rather just try and go for it - great learners they are.

But essentially, we are learning creatures. 

Isn't it that, as soon as we master one thing, we look for something else to improve. If it's improving the same thing (like improving your writing skills for 50 years) or about learning something completely different (like leaving the tooth-brush practice and learning to poo all alone instead...whichever comes first).

Are we scared of learning? Or to look like fools? And therefore we don't even try?

I feel we live in a society where we scare away too easily from learning. Instead we want to be masters without effort (somehow what the media teaches us). Speaking of the "6 minute six-pack" and the "6 figure business in 6 months".

We start something, as soon as one self-doubt occurs we change our path again. And end up doing all sorts of things, but really nothing in the end.

Writing 701 books is an achievement. But much more I'm astonished by really everyone who attained "mastery" at something. There's a whole lot to go through. Ups and downs. Plateaus and sidetracks. But the ones who stuck with it eventually reap the reward. The reward of knowing, that there is perhaps no destination, but that the path alone is what counts.*

(*Don't ask me where those last few last lines came from... I was just inspired. I have no idea whatsoever if it's true, and yet it felt good to write - so... make your own story about it.)

What is it, that you are currently want to attain mastery at? 

Thanks for reading! and wishing you the best!

Sam