Practice is an intriguing term with layers of complexity. We’ve all come across this term at various points of life. But no two usages had the same connotation or context. Back in school, practice was associated with the solving math problems or playing a sport. With an expectation of a certain outcome. Practicing math meant you get better at solving math which meant that you would score better in the math exam. Practicing football came with the expectation of making the team. But practice, in essence, was always attached with an outcome.
Maybe this was done to give you clear, tangible feedback on your practice. Helping you get better and moving up towards becoming an ‘expert’. But most of us use this same two part practice-outcome approach to everything. Including life itself. Attaching an outcome to whatever you do brings with it a certain expectation. And when you don’t achieve what you’d expected, you feel dejection. Using the practice-outcome pair in this fashion essentially renders your life in a constant loop of highs and lows.
There are many downstream effects as well. Living with the need of always having something to look forward to. And feeling empty or low when there's absolutely nothing. Going to the gym because you want to look thinner. Or working harder at a job you hate because you might get that promotion (which you probably would hate even more) and make some more money. We get so tangled up chasing the outcome that we completely ignore the journey.
What if we try and disconnect the practice from the outcome. And just try and focus, and enjoy the task that we’re doing. Going to the gym everyday because we want to lose weight. This could feel as a punishment, something that we ‘Have To’ do in order to get where we want to get. Or the outcome could be a by-product of what we do. For example, I want to get better at lifting weights. How can I try and find joy in this activity. How do I practice this such that I can do it regularly. And a natural by product of this effort is a healthier body. Or trying to find joy in writing in your pursuit of becoming a writer.
I’m advocating delinking practice and outcome. Because practice itself is worthy enough. Worthy of attention and care. And if we pay attention to how we feel while doing the task at hand, we will also find joy in the practice. If we realise that we don’t care much for the task at hand, it’s okay to let it go and move on. Pay attention to things that you like doing. Find things that you could spend hours doing and not care about what others think. Things you’d do even if it had no tangible outcome.
And think of the act as the single most important thing that you need to do at that point in time. Build the importance in your head and take pride in improving regularly. I find joy in the fact that I could lift a few KGs heavier than I could last time. Or that I feel much stronger than I did a few months back. Finding joy in the art of practice can radically transform. And bring you unlimited joy.
I believe everything you do in life can be looked at as a practice. Your work, your relationships, your health. Everything in life is a practice. You try something, based on the feedback you course correct, next time you try something different and you keep doing it. There is no finale. There is no first prize. You just get better at things. And it gives you a much longer timeline to work with.
So the next time you feel like ‘everything is lost’ when something doesn’t go your way, dust off and go to bed. It was just a practice match and tomorrow, you’ll get to practice life again.
Thanks to Akanksha Mohla, Jayati Bhola, Anamika Singh and Rohan for reviewing this article.
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