Practice makes…better.

Posted on July 8, 2010

Something really wonderful has been happening to me since I decided to sign up for the 21*5*800 project. Through the community and the daily practices of yoga & writing, I have been surprising myself. I’ve been writing different types of things and revisiting long lost creative pursuits. I even made a drawing, which is something I have almost never attempted.

On impulse, at the end of a long day, I got out some chalks and paper and just followed my instincts. It was freeing, and fun, and felt really good. (I’ve always liked any activity where I can be a little messy and it’s totally allowed.)

I don’t really know why I never did a lot of visual art (or even doodling) growing up. I do know that I became easily frustrated at not being good at something right away, at having to practice, and practice, and practice…

Practice meant boring, tedious exercises. It meant frustration. It meant doing something I hated in order to be better at something I loved. It was suffering & sacrifice.

Through a combination of new habits, I’ve become friendly with the word “practice” again. Instead of thinking of practice as a means to an end, I think of it as the process itself. Practice is just what I do. I love that the habit of doing yoga regularly is called a Yoga Practice. The emphasis is not on becoming the Best at a particular set of poses but rather on being patient and listening to yourself, being fully present in your body. Some days, it all goes right. Other days, I’m lucky to get through the whole class. The benefits of doing it arise either way.

Similarly, my daily morning pages are a Writing Practice. The goal of writing several pages a day is not actually to create a cohesive piece that I can publish or perform… that comes later. These pages are for listening to my intuition, for being present, and letting my mind wander and rest. By allowing myself that practice every day, I am more likely to feel up to working on new writing for public consumption.

The combination of yoga & writing practices do not necessarily make me more skilled at writing or yoga… they just make me better. I feel more whole, more in touch, more receptive. I feel better.

What makes you better?

Tags: 21*5*800, practice, self-discovery

Rhett

There’s a maxim in sports psychology that you can’t, in the long run, focus on the trophy. You’ll either lose your love for your sport as you chase the trophy or you’ll catch the trophy and then you’ll lose focus and burn out. It’s actually for this reason that I have refused to ever be competitive with my cycling despite having been told that I could probably train to be a decent racer. I don’t want to have to think about disappointing a sponsor or trying to beat other racers. I want to ride because it makes me feel free and challenges me. Ditto my running. It’s for the love of the act. It’s for knowing that my good days are a chance to revel in my liberation and that my bad days are a chance to catch myself when I fall.

This naturally makes my time exercising my Daily Practice, to the point that I’ve grafted most of my spiritual and magickal practice onto my exercise.

Funny you’d mention drawing. That was the first time that competitive thinking poisoned a love for me. When I was seven years old, I loved to draw. I saw the work of some kids that were better than me, knew I didn’t know how to make anything that pretty, and gave up on it. Throughout my life, I’ve gone back to pencil sketching, but I’ve never been able to really get myself in a place of play with it, and I eventually just give it up again.
- jules
  
  Rhett, you really hit it for me about exercise. I was never an athlete because I dislike competing with anyone but myself. I love being *active* though, to feel my body working and to overcome obstacles.
  
  Art classes always intimidated me because so many of the kids were already talented, I felt years behind. It’s amazing how those little traumas to our creativity can stick with us for decades.
Greg

I agree and think “practice” should be an enjoyable experience. It’s fun improving yourself in something you receive enjoyment doing. I like writing. Over the last ten years I can see improvements in what I write. I never viewed my stories, poems, or scripts as practice, but each one is a practice step over previous attempts. I don’t think there will ever be a moment where I find myself the best, only better. I think as long as I learn and enjoy I will never take a step back and think of all the “practicing” I did!
April | Everything Little Miss

I really like your thought process here, and the idea of just being a better you and feeling better. I find that practice is a wonderful part of the creative process, and that I often learn something new. I think of each new project as practice, and I use them to build my skills. The next time, I’m better (or at least more comfortable)! Good luck! 🙂
- jules
  
  Being comfortable is very important, because it’s only then that we can really let go and Play. Playing then leads to new discoveries…and often you’re building skills without knowing it because you’re just having so much fun! 🙂
Peggie

“Instead of thinking of practice as a means to an end, I think of it as the process itself”. Love it.
Just the other day my friend and I were talking about how we hated being “beginners” and that’s why we ‘quit’ so many things. Reading this just drives home that it’s all process.

thanks for that.

Also – love the chalk drawing, I’ve been seeing that same image for months now.
- jules
  
  Hi Peggie!
  
  Yes, that feeling of being a beginner is so uncomfortable sometimes and it’s hard to put up with it long enough to feel more confident.
  
  Thanks for the comment about the drawing… how interesting that we’re both seeing the same thing! 🙂
Heather

oooh… this part right here:

“I do know that I became easily frustrated at not being good at something right away, at having to practice, and practice, and practice…

Practice meant boring, tedious exercises. It meant frustration. It meant doing something I hated in order to be better at something I loved. It was suffering & sacrifice.”

I feel like I just got called on something. heh. That’s how I’ve been feeling about guitar for a while…

I’m just dancing between two frustrations – not being good at something, and not getting any better at it. And somehow this post/my thought process sparked a little memory of when I very first picked it up and just “made up” chords that made me happy. Quite a lot of freedom then. hmmmmm. Thanks for getting some gears cranking in my head.

Kudos on becoming more comfortable with the word “practice” again!

write. play. repeat.

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