Practice Is Its Own Perfection

In an earlier post, I extolled the virtues of play — both in avocations (such as mine, guitar) and in vocations (such as mine, marketable idea creation).

There is also virtue to practice — the drills and exercises that keep our skills sharp and build confidence.

In guitar, I practice lots of things. Scales. Songs (hey, change keys all you want — you still need to know the chords). And new ideas gleaned from watching others play, listening or reading.

I usually devote 10 minutes of guitar playing time every day to practice. I work on a section until it runs smoothly, or at least smoother. And I try it again the next day, and the day after, until I own it. Even then, once and awhile, I test myself to make sure I still have it down.

If I find a chink, the troublesome part goes back on the active practice wheel until the rough edges are smooth.

This parallels my professional life. I am in the marketable idea creation business, and I practice my craft daily. I think of this idea. I try that idea. Sometimes, my ideas are in the marketable realm, other times not. It doesn’t matter. It’s the practice of regular idea creation that’s key. It keeps my idea generating engine in top form.

With time, you’ll find practice is its own perfection. Keep after yourself to try new things, to expose yourself to new ways of thinking and to test yourself on the fundamentals regularly to be sure they’re solid. You’ll see how it keeps the skills you value most just the way you want them — honed razor sharp and always in tune.