Focus. Growth. Mastery. That’s the power of practice. In this post we’ll look at 10 reasons why practice is so important.
Here at Ten Bulls, we often say that everyone needs a practice. It could be a meditation practice, a movement practice or a creative practice, but we all need something to invest in and give our lives direction.
Practice shapes and sharpens a person.
Through practice, we find ourselves and master the skills we want to master.
Want to do a backflip? Want to score more goals? Want to be more relaxed and mindful? Practice is the answer.
While not all kinds of practice are equal, showing up each day can transform you. And as far as actualising ones potential goes, deliberate and consistent practice is the surest path.
Let’s dive in.
The benefits of practice
There are a number of benefits that come with practice. Whether you train alone, in a class, or with a team, you can experience some, or all, of these positive changes over time:
Increased focus and discipline. Everyday we practice, we develop our focus and our discipline. We get better at showing up, overcoming resistance and getting in the zone. While it’s not always easy, we become more adept at rising to the challenge.
Better habits. Practice ingrains thoughts, movements and patterns, making them repeatable in the future. When we drill something over and over, we internalise it and make it stick. This works with the good as well as the bad, so we can build better habits with the principle of ‘practice makes permanent’ in mind.
Enhanced skills. When we practice, we shine a light on a skill. We play with it, we observe it, we feel it, and we understand it. With enough practice, it becomes something we can use. Through (quality) repetitions we get more relaxed and proficient, paving the way to mastery.
Layered skills. Skills in isolation can be really cool, but great athletes, movers and performers have layers of skill that they can utilise. They have learned and integrated movements of different complexity, so they can flow effortlessly between them. Practice helps us to expand our vocabulary of skills and makes them available in different situations. It gives us the right tools for the job.
Talent identification. Through practice, we learn pretty quickly what we’re good at and what we suck at. We’re able to identify our talents, strengths and weaknesses. We can go a long way when we work to our natural strengths, and practice helps to uncover them.
Deeper understanding. It’s one thing to read about a subject and learn all there is to know about it, but until we do a thing, we don’t really get to the essence of it. Knowledge comes from a book, wisdom comes from practice.
Greater confidence. As our skills improve, so does our confidence. We feel good about ourselves and what we’ve accomplished. People who are normally shy and withdrawn can be incredibly confident when performing something they’re good at.
Improved performance. Practice improves skills, IQ and confidence, which translates to greater competitive performance. Whether you play in a pub football team, compete in BJJ, or swim for Team GB, strengthening your practice can strengthen your performance.
Improved Neuroplasticity. Practice can literally rewire our brains to work in new and powerful ways. Developing skills that are fresh, challenging and important to us makes use of our brain’s malleability and helps us function better, no matter our age.
Escapism. Anxious? Exhausted from work? Practice offers an escape from everyday stress and channels our energy into something positive. Any kind of immersive endeavour can relieve anxiety and make us feel good about life.
Champions of practice
We don’t have to look far to find stories and testimonies on the power of practice. The majority of people who have reached a high level of skill, will tell you it was practice, and not talent or luck, that was the defining factor.
According to Bruce Lee, the legendary Martial Artist: “Practice makes perfect. After a long time of practicing, our work will become natural, skilful, swift, and steady.”
Kobe Bryant said: “I have nothing in common with lazy people who blame others for their lack of success. Great things come from hard work and perseverance. No excuses.” He famously practiced 6 hours a day and set the standard for work ethic amongst his peers.
It’s not only athletes who benefit from consistent practice. Musicians, writers, artists and professionals alike get better by doing the reps diligently over weeks, months and years.
Ray Bradbury, the American author, said: “I know you’ve heard it a thousand times before. But it’s true – hard work pays off. If you want to be good, you have to practice, practice, practice. If you don’t love something, then don’t do it.”
Even the enlightened ones attribute their bliss to daily practice. According to Bodhidharma himself: “Many roads lead to the path but basically there are only two: reason and practice.”
If there’s something you love, or something you want to improve, carve out the time for it and practice, practice, practice.
Let’s see how far you can go.
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Featured Image: @jonathanborba