Practice Makes Better

Our family spent part of this weekend at an international piano competition, where piano duets who had practiced for months (including my husband, who was competing) played incredibly complicated and beautiful live music on stage. These groups of 2 or 4 pianists were competing against other duets or quartets based on skill and age, and the performances were unbelievable. It was one of the most amazing things I have experienced in years.

At one point, I had this incredible awareness that I was watching adults, children, and teenagers who spent hundreds of hours practicing to learn these musical pieces. In my own home, I have experienced firsthand the time, energy, and pure determination required to master some of the music these groups were playing. I experienced a beautiful state of awe and admiration during the 2 hours of watching the competition.

What does practice look like? Why does practice matter?

If you search for a definition of practice, you will find something like this:

"perform (an activity) or exercise (a skill) repeatedly or regularly to improve or maintain one's proficiency."

Practicing involves putting our energy into an activity, usually to maintain or to improve a skill. It's the devotion to something we might not be the best at yet, but we have decided we want to do anyway. It's not always enjoyable- often it can be more painful than fun. Due to this unenjoyable part, we might tend to resist and avoid it. And the reality about practice is that it's a necessary part of getting better at something. When we practice we are usually reminded that we aren't perfect- that we have farther to go. A phrase I use often is "Practice makes better. There is no perfect." With practice, we are reminded that there is a gap between where we are and where we want to be.

I am constantly reminded how much practice matters. Not only to the skill development but to our brains and bodies. We gain so much when we work at something and noticeably get better over time. When we can look back and notice how much we have grown from practicing something, our brains reinforce the awareness that we have the power to make changes in our lives. That is huge!

One of my favorite aspects of Yoga is how it is called a yoga practice, even if you are a master yogi and have been teaching it for years. I have been practicing yoga for 25 years, and I still use the same terminology. Mastery isn't a term or concept in most yoga practices because there is always more to learn. And I still get excited when I am able to get into a pose that might not have been possible for me the year before. I think "holy moly I did it! I've been trying this for years but it finally worked!" And THAT, my friends, is the moment your brain makes a note: Practice matters and we can get better.

But isn't that true of 99.9% of our lives? There is always room to grow. We can constantly continue to learn new concepts, if we are open to it. Sometimes we just need the reminder.

This blog is currently serving as an aspect of my writing practice. And the more I practice writing, the more I am flexing my writing muscles. Maybe one day I'll be able to write something bigger- who knows!

What are you practicing this month? How is it going?