Practice To Perform

We've all heard it before. "Practice practice practice," or "practice makes perfect." If we are going to be honest with ourselves for just a moment, we really know two things to be true about these phrases. One, these phrases conjure up memories of some coach or teacher trying to get us to be better at something when we were younger that we really had no desire to ever perform. And, two, they were right. Practice does make perfect.

I mean let's be honest here. How many times have you found it to be true in your life that one day you woke up, tried something for the first time, and were already the best that you could be? Don't misunderstand me. We've had those experiences where we tried something for the first time, and bam. Light goes off. You made contact. The equation computed. The painting was awe inspiring. While these experiences are indeed incredible and yes, even good performances, they weren't perfect (and rarely even great). They were, however, gripping. That moment reeled you in. You were now...a lifer. It didn't matter what it was going to take. You were committed to that game, that sport, that academic, or that career path, forever more.

How many lifers out there are excelling in their crafts and their fields, without practice? A few? None? Sure, there are a few with that raw, natural, born innate talent that gives them a skillful edge over their competition. But, even the naturals will plateau without practice. They will stop climbing, they will be surpassed, and then they'll wonder what happened. It takes practice, and we know this to be true.

So, what do you practice? Or, let's ask this question of ourselves first. What do I perform? I'm not talking only about sports in this case. What roles do I play? What do I do? What do I spend my time doing? Do you golf? Do you cook? Are you a husband or a wife, a son or a daughter? Are you a barista or an accountant? Are you a Christian? We may have never thought about these questions before in this light. But, if you answer yes to some of these questions or ones similar, then you have identified the ways in which you perform.

So, what do you practice? Why do we only attribute practice to sports or music from our childhood? If practice makes us better in those areas of sports and musicianship, then why not in the other areas of our lives- that maybe even matter more. Speaking for myself, I would rather be better (and maybe even moreso) at my relationships current and future and my devotion to God.

Let's try taking time out of our days to practice. If it's golf, let's take time to chip and putt in our back yards or workout when we can't swing a club. If it's cooking that we love, then let's read blogs and taste unique foods and try new restaurants and pay attention to all of our senses. If you're a husband or boyfriend, then let's practice loving and serving one another. If you're single, then let's practice all the qualities and characteristics that we know our future spouses will need or want us to be. But, let's be intentional. Let's understand that practice makes perfect. Let's understand, that I may not be perfect now, but I want this! And, then let's practice practice practice until we have it, and then practice some more. Let's never settle for a high plateau. Let's always resolve to keep getting better.