Practice Makes A Man (And A Woman) Perfect

Do you remember your first day at work? Did you feel like you knew nothing after studying the same thing for years and real life was so different, it was difficult to wrap your head around it? Do you look at that time with kindness and tenderness today, proud of how far you have come in life? Nothing great was ever built in a day. It took consistent efforts even to build Rome. Practice implies that you will fail at what you attempt but consistent efforts at bettering yourself is what will win the day. No matter who you are, where you come from, who chooses to support you, or not — excellence and success stay with those who practice their craft and hone it to break new ground.

A lot has been said about practice making a person perfect but how do we put it into practice in real life when we have reached a particular point in our careers? In today’s age and time, it is perfectly easy to be branded as a subject matter expert in different things but experts require skill upgradation too. If this thought creates limbo or panic, those are very reasonable reactions. In the same vein, I think there is no shame in getting back to basics and learning new ways of doing the same thing. A brilliant example of this attitude is Sachin Tendulkar. In my time planning my first book ‘She Walks, She Leads’, I read up on how Sachin kept on turning up for practice despite a grueling schedule and worked on the same shots relentlessly, to turn into the sporting megastar he is now. It didn’t matter if he was injured or in his best form on the field, you’d always find him on the nets before matches, doing his best with the rest of the team. It’s not for nothing he’s called the Little Master. And despite his massive success, he talks very kindly and fondly about other people he has mentored or admired. That kind of humility definitely comes with practice.

If we let go of our ego of being a master and remain pupils of our respective crafts, I believe that the universe is bound to oblige with lasting success.

There are some simple steps that we can all introduce in our lives to ensure that we stay on the track to perfection:

1. Ensure that the things you want to perfect are a part of your daily life. Nobody can do something half-heartedly or part time and master it.

2. Start small. You won’t achieve success the first, second, third or maybe the tenth time. The key is to learn from every mistake and better ourselves.

3. Break a goal down into actionable tasks. It is alright to dream of being a great writer but writing everyday can help hone your craft, not dreaming about it.

4. Stay positive. It is the most cliché advice ever, but also the most ignored advice.

5. Believe. In yourself and your vision. If you don’t, nobody else will have a reason to.