Practice Makes Better

Once upon a time, I was sitting in my car, listening to tunes with my longtime friend. We were talking about some heavy stuff; stuff that most artists dwell and fret over. The stuff we all wish we could do versus the things we actually can do. The stuff that is so amazing about our own craft, and also, the really, really bad stuff too. The stuff that makes you want to give up. The stuff that can make or break that specific craft for a person.

Have I said 'stuff' one too many times yet?

Her 'stuff' happens to be drawing, whereas mine happens to be writing. I enjoy that her stuff is not my stuff for this simple reason: I am a raging jealous female who hates to watch others succeed in something that she too is trying to accomplish. I am competitive, sometimes rude, maybe a little psycho at times but I am human. But those are not the only things that define me as a human; I am a loving and caring friend, I adore my fiancé and our precious little dog, and I am coming to terms with my 'flaws,' as well as working past them.

And so, back to me sitting in my car—I turn to her and say, "Practice makes better."

And she stares at me for a long time. She eventually started laughing so hard that, for a few minutes, she wasn't even sure what I said until she said it aloud again.

"It's odd," she said. "I mean, you're not wrong. You are right. I'm not sure how I feel about that."

Stupid stuff comes out of my mouth all the time. And for the record 'practice makes better' does sound odd. Except, now that I say it all the time, it is probably the truest thing I say.

Why?

Because I am a raging jealous female who-- I'm kidding. But I am human. And as a human, I am supposed to fail, supposed to learn. What we are not supposed to be is perfect. We were designed with so many flaws. So many great flaws! We constantly strive for perfection in situations where perfection is impossible. Something that is 'perfect' to one is a disaster to another, but you take those disasters, learn from them and you become better. You become better at that skill; you become better in that mindset; you become a better person.

If my pitching coach, as a child, had told me that 'practice makes better' instead of 'practice makes perfect,' I may have been a little less angsty towards him. I remember focusing so hard on perfection; I wanted that perfect curveball. I wanted it so badly that all I did was practice specifically on that curveball, and forgot about the love of the game. I didn't want to be a professional player, I just wanted to be good. I wanted so badly for people to pick me over the other pitchers because I knew I could be that good. And I knew it was going to take more than a wicked curveball (drop, riser, change-up, fastball, I can do them all) to prove to people how great I really was.

It takes a hell of a lot more than a curveball for people to want you, or for people to feel like a team when they are around you. If I had practiced being better at the sport as well as with my attitude, I would have had a lot more fun, and so would the other players.

Once I practiced being better, I quickly found what I was really looking for. Being a better person is a lot of work, and it doesn't just affect you. It affects everyone around you too.

So, as I always say, practice makes better. And better, as long as I learn from those lessons, will make things better.