Practise Is Paying Off
I called my brother today and we had a long chat about swimming, and the easy relaxed look of people who are swimming fast... Looking effortless, gliding along, and streaking ahead...
This is true of anything done well... It looks easy.
Lots and lots of hard work equals a look of ease, which can belie the need for all those hours of practice...
I remember reading a quote which resonated, it went something like this... 'Champions spend hours doing the things other people find boring.'
I would replace the word 'champions' with, 'A level of accomplishment' is achieved by spending hours doing the things other people find boring...
I remember going to a talk given by Matthew Syed - champion table tennis player and award winning journalist - where he stated that it was practice that makes champions, not talent... Putting in ten thousand hours of practice...
He has written a book called 'The myth of talent and the power of practice', where he says that if people practice and practice, that in the end it looks like talent, and that in effect those who succeed simply work harder...
I am not sure that practising a lot would make everyone top level, but it would certainly mean they were top of their own game...
And living with Anadi, and seeing how much practise he puts in at computer programming, does support the ten thousand hours of ten years of practice theory, although he also says it is something that comes naturally to him...
And we could go in a circular argument with this...!
The key with applying ourselves, is to decide what we truly want... If we would like to get to 'ten thousand hour' level... Then it is worth practising, practising, practicing...
And then resisting any adverse comparing... The top of our game after ten thousand hours, may be a lower level than another person who has practiced for less time...
But the key is to practice anyway, for the joy of the stretch, and the finding out...
But the core of it all, is the practice of self inquiry...
If the practice is coming from tension and pushing to try and find something in an end result, then it will always be empty. But if the practice is alongside a self discovery, and a shedding of tension, then we will be practicing from the place of our souls creativity... From consciousness itself and then whatever emerges cannot be anything but beautiful
So, my brother has been doing more swimming recently, and is responding to the swimmers who glide with ease... He is increasing his lengths and his progression is exponential...
However, he would like to give himself every chance for full speed..!
And so he wants to get himself a pair of speedos, not the tiny weeny ones, the short length ones, but clinging, fitting stretchy swimmers none the less...
My sister in law is not keen...:)
He and I were chatting about this
'Women wear stretchy gear whatever their age' he laughed 'Sue seems to think old men should not wear Lycra...'
'You wear speedos if you want to' I laughed too....
So we will see...!
I was wearing stretchy tight shorts today in the gym! My orange pair which I love and keep washing and wearing...
I also ran a much improved session on the treadmill, than just twelve days ago...
Practise is paying off...
