{And so are you.}
They say, “practice makes perfect.” Whatever you’re practicing, you’re getting good at, if not perfect. And that could be playing the piano or poker or growing gorgeous tomatoes or shooting hoops. It could also be negative thinking or worrying or overspending or turning a cold shoulder to what’s going on in your head, soul, and body.
You may not think about it this way (I didn’t) and you may not consider your daily tasks and habits something that you’re practicing (I wasn’t). But if you get some perspective on it, you can see that you are practicing everything from the mundane morning routine of getting up and brushing your teeth to the more complex work of doing a great job to earn a comfortable livelihood.
Things that I have personally practiced to the point of at least good, if not pretty great: yoga, budgeting, making veggie lasagna, having a sense of direction, listening, drawing stick figures, praying, snow-skiing, Tetris, stillness. A few other things I’ve put more than a reasonable amount of practice towards: anxiety, stressing out, getting caught up, letting it get to me, making it mean something, anxiety, fearing I don’t know enough, nagging, judging, letting it slide, anxiety.
Once you reframe your actions as practice, a new light shines on what you’re up to in this wild world of ours. Honing painful, worrisome skills means you get better and better at pain and worry. Refining healthy, joyful skills brings more and more health and joy into your life.
Becoming more aware of what you’re practicing and creating habits out of wakes you up to your own superpower tool belt.Knowing what you want in your tool belt and shifting out of the practice of pain and worry supports the creation of a life deliberately focused on what you want and how you want to feel.