The Art of Practice

Have you ever tried learning how to do something, and you felt like you were so bad at it that you gave up? You’re not alone. My mom tried to teach me how to crochet. Twice. And both times I worked for a while on a strand and just gave up.

It’s not comfortable to see your own failings. But the key to getting good at anything is practice. Of course, it helps to have proper guidance so you’re practicing things correctly. Still, the fact remains that practicing is how you get better at anything. No amount of education will do you any good if you don’t practice what you’re taught.

I would be a much better pianist if I would have been more diligent with practicing the piano. My mom taught me as much as she could, but I dragged my feet and didn’t practice as much as I could have. It’s not my mom’s fault I’m only OK at the piano and that anything I know runs away when people start singing. It’s my fault. I didn’t practice enough. I’ve recently been trying to remedy that, but I digress.

I read a book called Mastery by George Leonard that talks about practice. He describes a few different learners (the Dabbler, the Obsessive, and the Hacker), but the only learner that becomes a master at something learns to love practice. If you can overlook the discomfort of seeing how imperfectly you’re performing and find enjoyment in the process of practice, you’ll become a master. Leonard says:

“The people we know as masters don’t devote themselves to their particular skill just to get better at it. The truth is, they love to practice—and because of this they do get better. And then, to complete the circle, the better they get the more they enjoy performing the basic moves over and over again.”

So if there’s something you want to get better at—practice. Find joy in the process, and the process will be more enjoyable.