Practice Makes Beautiful

Ever look at the irony of how the pain in practicing a new skill or behavior compares to the bliss in seeing its beautiful outcome?

Most people I know don’t love spending an inordinate amount of time and energy working at becoming comfortable and proficient with something new. In our world today, everyone seems to be in a hurry to attain mastery.

I remember being a 7-year-old child taking piano lessons. I rarely practiced scales or songs in between the lessons, and when I did, I did not apply the patience nor attention it required to master the art.  Back then, I did not see the value in applying myself to it and found it a chore. As an adult, I reflect on how much I would have gained from remaining disciplined. 20/20 hindsight, right?

It is true that when we stick with something we find enjoyable, we know our time is well spent and the time seems to fly by. But it is also true for many tasks that enjoyment does not always come about immediately. Sometimes, the satisfaction that we feel comes about after we put in the time and attention, and we see our magnificent result.

How we think about what we want to achieve makes all the difference. If we approach tackling something new as hard, fatiguing, and pointless, we block the opportunity to create beauty.

To illustrate this, I was delighted the other day when I heard a neighbor playing his piano. It was a beautiful day, and the music matched the climate. Two hours later, I still heard the piano music. Different songs were floating out the window for our block to enjoy. Then, a few hours later, the music was still going! I was literally amazed and in awe of the discipline my neighbor had to play his instrument all day long - and this pianist is not even an adult yet.

Achieving mastery: not every new endeavor is achieved quickly and easily. But we all know the feeling of joy when we try and achieve the outcome we are hoping for.