Practice...

You've probably heard the saying "practice makes perfect" before. I used to hear this all the time and it pushed me to be better, but I always felt that something was missing.

I like the concept, however it's not entirely accurate. You won't ever be perfect. Perfection is something we should all strive for, however understand we won't ever actually attain it.

Athletes practice. Musicians practice. Speakers practice. Artist practice. If you want to be better at something, practice it.

If you want to be a better athlete, practice. If you want to be a better musician, then practice. The list goes on and on.

Practice (verb) literally means to rehearse, work on, or go over again and again. It is an action towards greatness.

I have always had a desire to be able to play the electric guitar well. When I was 14 I picked up the guitar for the first time and couldn't play a single note. I tried really hard, even read through the beginners guitar book, however fell short of actually playing anything that sounded decent. Over the past 19 years I've gotten better and better and can play all kinds of music.

My son plays baseball and the first time he threw the ball it went about 10 feet to my right. I picked up the ball and he tried it again. Again, 10 feet to the right. Over the past 5 seasons of baseball and countless hours in the front yard throwing, he pretty much throws it right to me 98% of the time.

We were working on quick throws and some techniques to getting the ball out of the glove fast and he asked me, why do we have to do this? I said, because the more you do it the better you'll get at it.

He was a little apprehensive, but pushed on! By the end of the front yard practice, he was throwing harder and getting the ball out of his glove twice as fast.

You see, practice may not make perfection but it will make you better than you were.

Malcolm Gladwell said, "Practice isn't the thing you do once your good. It's the thing you do that makes you good."

What are you working on in your life?

Do you want to be a better athlete or musician? Do you want to be a better spouse or parent?

If so, are you even practicing?

If not...then get started! Develop a routine that works, and get going!

"It's a funny thing, the more I practice the luckier I get." -Arnold Palmer

Philippians 4:9 says, what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me - practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.