Frontiers Friday #22. Devotion to the Craft (Part 3)
Frontiers of Psychotherapist Development
Frontiers Friday #22. Devotion to the Craft (Part 3)
Dispatch number #22: 4 recommendations from people who devote themselves to their craft, and one relevant quote.
Watch: Won't You Be My Neighbor
I didn't grow up watching any of Fred Rogers program, but this HBO documentary on Fred Rogers left me in tears. I am adult fan of his now.
Pair this with a recent film starring Tom Hanks, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019), this New York Times article The Mister Rogers No One Saw, and an interview with Charlie Rose in 1997.
Fred Rogers is truly a man devoted to his mission.
Watch: 60 mins with Roger Federer
I'm always on the lookout to study the behind-the-scenes of world-class performers who aren't assholes.
I'm not a tennis geek, but Roger Federer stands out.
I first came to notice about Federer's story through David Epstein's excellent book, Range.
In the first chapter, Epstein contrasted Tiger Woods "early specialisation" story with Federer's initial meanderings of interest:
"His mom was a coach, but she never coached him. He would kick a ball around with her when he learned to walk. As a boy, he played squash with his father on Sundays. He dabbled in skiing, wrestling, swimming, and skateboarding. He played basketball, handball, tennis, table tennis, badminton over his neighbor’s fence, and soccer at school...He found that the sport really didn’t matter much, so long as it included a ball."
In this 60 mins interview, I was surprised to learn that Federer used to have a temper. But the loss of a dear friend woke him up...
(See related Frontiers blogpost: What Does General Athleticism Got to Do With Psychotherapeutic Skills?)
Read: Peak by Ericsson and Pool
I still think of Ericsson... He had such a big impact on me. (Listen to this podcast episode)
This long overdue book is a cumulation of his body of work, written for the public.
If you want to dive in further on the topic of development of expertise, I highly recommend you read the edited books Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and Expert Performance (2nd edition) (it's a tomb), and the lesser known Development of Professional Expertise (more specialised discussion).
Read: On Writing Well by William Zinnser
This is one of the first books I got on improving writing. A copy editor recommended me this book several years ago. Writing has been a practice I've adopted. Writing has become a way to not just write what I know, but "write in order to know". It helps me clarify and sharpen my thinking.
"Good writing is re-writing," someone once said. Zinnser takes you to the heart of this process.
I'd need to re-visit this book some time soon.
Words Worth Contemplating:
“The more basic knowledge you have … the less new knowledge you have to get.” ~ Charlie Munger
Reflection:
Who do you look up to? What attributes do you admire in these people?
And what does that mirror about what's possible in you?
WELCOME NEW DEVOTED THERAPISTS ON THE FRONTIERS!
If you've just joined us, feel free to check out the back catalogue of Frontiers of Psychotherapists Development (FPD).
Also, if you want to see the past newsletters, click here
In case you missed it, see past series on Devotion to the Craft:
My other blog is Full Circles: Reflections on Living