EVERYTHING IS PRACTICE
There are a number of ways champions separate themselves from everyone else. One of the most obvious? Their perspective on practice. Champions see practice as an opportunity to be taken advantage of. It's a chance to do their most important work: the learning and improving they know becoming their best requires. Losers – those willing to settle for ordinary or average – have a different perspective. They usually see practice as an obligation, as a box they’re required to check or a task they have to complete. Each one of us is responsible for choosing our own approach to practice, and that choice will in many ways determine who we become in the areas that matter to us most. Our perspective on practice is paramount.
Pelé, the legendary soccer player, famously said, “Everything is practice.” What a simple yet insightful glimpse into the mindset of a champion. Everything is practice. Everything! Every day, every experience provides the champion with an opportunity to learn and improve. This is the ultimate process-oriented way of thinking. It’s the winning approach the champion has chosen today that constantly makes them worthy of winning again tomorrow.
So the question for each of us today is, have we accepted this winning perspective, that everything is practice? That means accepting that, in any area of life, great performance is a by-product of great preparation, and that we are constantly training ourselves for something – whether we realize it or not. It means accepting that every day, no matter what we’re doing, there will be opportunities to work on some important things that are directly connected to greatness in any area of life. Whatever it is you want to be great at, today can help you develop 1) the effort and attitude you bring to your work, especially the work that’s uncomfortable or inconvenient, 2) your response when things don’t go your way, and 3) the way you treat others, in both the good times and the bad. Embracing everything as practice is proof that to you, today matters.
In any area of life, great performance is a by-product of great preparation, and we are constantly training ourselves for something – whether we realize it or not.
If you do in fact believe – like Pelé did – that everything is practice, then you’ll show up today ready to do what champions do. First, you'll come ready to work. Champions know that there is no improvement without effort. You'll also come ready to learn. Champions are humble enough to admit they don’t know everything and hungry to learn from anyone or anything that can teach them. They show up expecting to grow and improve.
Here’s the bottom line: whether we’re performing today under the bright lights of the big stage or working alone in the dark, today matters. Whether we’re focusing again on the fundamentals or attempting some new, challenging work for the first time, today matters. And whether or not we get the acknowledgement or recognition we think we deserve for taking an active role in our improvement, today matters. We need to remind ourselves that every experience provides us with an opportunity to get better…if we take advantage of it. It’s not just another day to get through, another box to check, or another task to complete. We are constantly training ourselves for something - whether we realize it or not. Everything is practice.