You Talking About Practice?
By: Andrew Amaechi Original: 06/10/2019
Understand that there is no substitute for hard work.
Success (regardless of your definition of it) is the result of consistent practice and repetition. Take a moment to digest that since our generation seems to have missed that memo…………..Okay, now back to the message at hand. There are no shortcuts to achieving success. It is based on pushing oneself past your limit to do better and improve. The saying “practice makes perfect” is more than just a famous cliché; it is a scientifically supported statement not just in sports, but also in other areas of life and numerous fields of human endeavor.
Several studies that have observed highly successful individuals in today’s society indicate that intelligence alone is not a good predictor of success. Moreover, that the success that is synonymous with individuals such as Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods and the Williams Sisters has little to do with their intelligence, but more so with the blood, sweat and tears that they shed during the countless hours they devoted to develop their craft.
Even with more recent sports success stories such as Stephen Curry (who was far from the consummate Division 1 athlete from high school to the pros), this philosophy has held true. The Golden State Warriors star and recent NBA champion has confirmed over and over that it wasn’t his athletic ability or talent that catapulted him into the shrines of NBA greatness, but his competitive drive and insatiable work ethic (often shooting and making hundreds and hundreds of three-pointers and free throws a day) which separated him from his competition. If the previous stories haven’t sold you consider this fact:
According to several studies, you need at least 10,000 hours of practice to become truly great at anything.
However, this entails more than just a time dedication and going through the motions, but actually paying attention to detail and being deliberate in your practice. This is a step by step process which involves:
Identifying your weaknesses or the areas you need to improve on.
Getting feedback from various sources while you practice.
Working on that specific aspect (or aspects if more than one) that needs improvement.
REPEAT!!! REPEAT!!! REPEAT!!!
So whether you are a professional hairstylist/makeup artist, honing your skills in pool or basketball (both in my case) or performing your duties on the job, keep in mind that innate talent only gets you so far. Outside of that, it is simply just: persistent HARD WORK.
So remember that whole Allen Iverson rant about practice?.....yea disregard that.
"The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in combat"