Practice Practice Practice

Practice

Photo Courtesy of: morethanasundayfaith

Practice. What is practice? What does it mean?

Is practice the amount of times you do something or the effort you put into it?

Does practice mean building strength or knowledge?

Well I guess practice could mean all of that but it depends how you look at it. I would say practice is doing something repetitively and giving it a good effort to improve your performance of that skill

One of the most important parts of practice is knowing the amount needed to be successful. Some people think that if they do something two or three times they will then be perfect. But, it doesn’t work quite like that.

As my french teacher Mr. Risotto always says, it’s not like one morning your just going to walk into the class room and speak fluent french. Because again you need to practice over a long period of time to master a skill.

Also for me in dance even if I am practicing for a total of ten thousand hours that does not mean I am going to be the next prima ballerina unless I put in the true effort and have a strong work ethic. Because I could be dancing for hours and hours but unless I am really pushing myself the improvement will not be made

I think it is very important to think about practice, about what your practicing, about how your practicing can get better, or something that you want to start practicing. For me I always set a goal I am trying to reach and then set a certain amount of time I will practice every day to reach that goal. For example my goal in dance is to improve my flexibility and I no that it won’t just happen over night, so I set aside twenty minutes every night to stretch.

Motivation is a huge part of practice because why do you want to practice something anyways. Practicing usually takes a lot of time and energy so what makes it worth it. That is a huge question and that is something that you should ask yourself when practicing. Having strong motivation will only make the outcome of the skill you are practicing even better.

I have talked to a lot of people over the years that I have danced with and asked them why do you dance? Why do you want to be hear?

I hear a lot of them say “Well I’ve been doing it since I was two so I guess I should keep doing it” or “It’s a good way to get exercise” or “My parents make me do it”

I always find those answers so interesting but it’s almost like I already knew their answers because I could see it when they were practicing, they had no motivation at all and that’s what made the difference in their dancing from those that really loved dancing and found it so enjoyable.

Think about that next time you are practicing something, think about what your motivation is because that may change how you are practicing something or even if you are practicing it at all.

Practice is different for everyone.

Some things come more naturally to others.

The most important thing is to never give up.

If you set your mind to something you can achieve it.

And remember practice doesn’t make perfect, but perfect practice can.