Importance of Practice

Importance of Practice

Just about
anything can
be learning if
you're smart 
enough to shape
it and scoot over.

You've heard all of the cliches, quotes, and best practices regarding the importance of practice.  There is no arguing that those who are experienced are often much more capable than newbies...often because of many years of practice.  Some things we can "grow into "with practice like becoming a master at our chosen profession or vocation.  Other things, like becoming newly married, having a first child, or chronic illness are harder to practice before we're in that stage.  Similarly, as we change and adapt throughout our lives, often the practice struggles to keep up.  In other words, about the time we were figuring out how to be parents to toddlers...they went and became pre-schoolers and we had some new learning to do.  

All out of 
diapers but
still 
climbing.

That all said, part of what we wanted to talk about this week is using similar practice to improve across all facets of life - for example, patience practice helps you at home, work, church, school, and so forth.  You're likely going to figure out the "tactical" details around the house - how to change a diaper, how to do dishes or wash laundry.  Those less tangible skills are the ones that become lifelong practice toward increased mastery.  Hopefully, you'll look back on life and realize that being a kind or humble person over your life, striving and growing in those spaces, was better than being a ninja-level diaper changer.  

When it comes to practice, a few pointers.  One is that we have to have top of mind focus on what we're aiming at achieving.  This sounds simple, but the old quote about becoming what we think about since our habits, words, and actions conspire toward progress is important.  We've talked with families who have a "theme" or "word of the month, year, etc" that they post prominently around the house, inject into conversations, read about in books, and so forth.  For example, if you had a "season of faith" you were practicing on, your practice could take the practicality of putting church as a priority on your calendar, talking intentionally around the dinner table about how you were faithful that day, reading stories where faith was a major factor, or inserting a faith conversation with someone on a daily/weekly basis.  If your word is something else - patience, kindness, helping, finance, health, you could find similar ways to "tangible-lize" so you can track your progress.  

Practice, in large
part can be
injected anywhere
and anytime with
a little creative 
effort.

In the groundbreaking, Malcolm Gladwell in Outliers gave a compelling case that mastery develops somewhere around the 10,000 hours of practice marker.  He, and other experts, call for the use of deliberate practice, or injecting intentionality into our practice.  In other words, sitting down at the piano sporadically and dorking around for a few minutes here and there is far less effective practice than a regimented structure on a routine schedule.  This isn't a call for perfect practice, however.  Take raising readers for children who develop a lifelong love of learning for example.  Certainly, there are parts of learning to read that have some curriculum style needed approach.  There is also much to be said for, the "grab the closest kid, grab the closet book, read to them" approach on a daily, consistent basis to get both of you in the habit and cultivate the love of learning/reading.  In that example, any reading, not just the Shakespearean classics is a win, doubly so when compared to how many parents just plug their kids into screens these days.  

Sometimes practice...or
the reward...is shooting
a jug of expired milk.

Outside of an incredibly disciplined class of folks, most of us have to inject some fun into our practice to develop the staying power to make whatever it is we're practicing habitual.  Therefore, practice makes permanence, especially if we can keep it "entertaining" enough to get good at it.  In our reading example, injecting some fun books alongside some phonics books that get to a particular skill has proved important in helping our kids become readers.  In an example with family finance, if you want to get some solid, generation-changing habits and progress, you likely have to inject some fun/reward into your otherwise strict budgets that help you get closer to your goals.  For our family, we've had some big financial goals, punctuated in a countdown fashion with some family travel.  Practicing frugality or discipline at the store when you're staring a "want" in the eye becomes much easier when there's a reward around the corner that you can visualize.  We get what we incentivize, so as you're setting out your end goals, include incentives.  

Sometimes you need your 
posse to go practice.

Another tenet of practice is that it makes progress...not perfection.  When our kids were learning how to ride bikes, it was a slow process of falling, getting back on, correcting, then trying again...a little progress at a time until they "got it" and now ride right along.  For us, practicing contentment has been an acquired skill.  The "comparison is the thief of joy" mantra that drags so many of us down in today's society, largely connected with social media, is a siren song hard to ignore sometimes.  Being wealthy, defined as "wanting what you have" or "embracing enough" has been a continuous journey of practicing for our family.  We are blessed, beyond measure (like most of the folks likely reading this sort of article).  Sometimes we let our little problems eclipse or overshadow our multitude of blessings.  For us, practicing with a gratitude____ (journal, conversation, prayer, pumpkin, time of day/week) has helped us keep our positive parts of life paramount.  

We often practice for when it goes right...sometimes, we should practice for when it goes wrong.  It's been said of elite Tier 1 military units that they practice until they "can't get it wrong" since the science is pretty clear that you don't "rise to an occasion" but rather "fall to your level of training."  By working through the hard/soft skills necessary for readiness if it goes pear-shaped, you're preparing your family for what happens when the results are off par.  This could be taking a first aid class as a family before a backpacking trip.  It could also mean injecting fear and rejection at inoculation-level doses.  For example, recently with Scouts, our boys did door-to-door cold call fundraising.  That comes with rejection.  Practicing rejection at a small level helps you be ready when you're an adult and the 

Work at being
in the moment. 

We'll close with a couple other thoughts.  Proper practice is important.  In other words, consistency in form and function of practice builds a standard which is a "how to" practice.  Repeating your system over and over creates mastery and muscle memory.  Similarly, practice the component skills on both the hard (e.g. throwing a baseball), and soft (e.g. being present where you're feet are or being content) as a role model.  As the old saying goes, "More is caught than taught" and with children, it's important to see you practicing when you're telling them to do so.  Make practice a way of life in your family...and watch the power results compound and roll in.  

With you in the arena, from ours to yours...Happy Trails!

Call to Action: 

• Pick out three things you or someone in your family is going to practice...as a family (e.g. playing catch in the backyard, getting ready for a 5k fun run, reading at bedtime, etc.).  
• 1 - ___________________ 
• 2 - ___________________
• 3 - ___________________
• Discussion: Consider what you/your family could/would/should (level of commitment) and start/stop/sustain (action) as it comes to practice...like carving out time on the calendar each night to devote toward some skill building.  

Further Reading, Motivation, and References:

- Malcolm Gladwell - Outliers