Practice and Practice Makes Perfect

I thoroughly enjoyed the TV show “Little Big Shots” with Steve Harvey, as the most incredible talents were revealed by the youngest children. Case in point: Four-year old Evan Le who “picked up” the piano only a few months before and played “The Flight of the Bumblebee” masterfully. (I posted the link below if you’d like to see it. It’s hilarious AND amazing!) I can understand how methodical training, coupled with guidance from parents and teachers, and personal determination and drive – the faster and the younger the children are in becoming accomplished musicians or whatever they are given to learn.

On a personal note, I started taking piano lessons when I was 8 years old. The first thing I learned was how to read the notes on a page and associate those notes to the keys on the piano. Then I learned how to look at the music and pay attention to my fingers at the same time. That sounds like a lot of coordination is involved, and, yes, it is — eyes, fingers, ears, and a good brain. But as I practiced and practiced (for years — much longer than kids today), something remarkable happened. Not only was I able, by instinct, to play what I was seeing, but before long, I even had music memorized and I was able to play by memory. All those lessons and all that practice served me well over the years as I played the piano and organ for our church and our quartet that itinerated around the U.S. and Canada.

Learning to play the piano (or any instrument) takes time, determination, practice and consistency. And that’s the way it is with anything that we want to accomplish in life — whether it be in learning to cook or a new language, being good at a sport, dance, or even in being a better husband/wife, parent, friend, employee or neighbor.

Let’s say we really do want to be caring and giving. Maybe we’ve been “all about me” for far too long, and now we’re ready for change. First we get a plan of action (like I had to with learning to read the notes and keys). Every day we think about how we can be more kind and generous to our spouse or neighbor or work associates. Then we determine to carry out that plan (just as I practiced over and over). We practice by offering to help someone with something they are having to do (i.e., clean out a garage, help an associate with meeting a deadline, take care of a neighbor’s kids, tutor a child, offer to help at a local charity, etc.). And we keep on practicing those caring and giving habits. All of a sudden, by instinct — by second nature — we are living out what we put into practice. We become the one that raises our hand when someone asks for help — just instinctively. We can’t help it — it’s second nature.

Indeed….practice makes perfect in just about everything we hope to excel in — in life — and that holds true to practicing love, harmony, faith, good attitude, consideration for others, and generosity.

Here’s that darling video of Steve Harvey and Evan Le: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnXT8SY4-9Q
#PracticeMakesPerfect