practice better
a letter inspired by the days in my life when I could break dance
dear you,
you probably don't know this, but there was a time in my life when I could break dance, pop, and move beautifully. I loved being part of choreographed routines, dancing rhythmically in unison with a group of amazing dancers. during that era, while learning new steps in front of huge mirrors, I stumbled upon one of the best mindsets that has guided my life. It is this:
practice like it is the main performance.
you might wonder, what's so special about this?
I realized that people who approached practice as "just practice" and didn't give it their all unconsciously perfected the art of not giving their best. the beauty of practice lies in repeating actions to learn how to do something well. if you learn haphazardly, when the spotlight is on, you'll perform haphazardly. I remember some of my dance colleagues making one mistake repeatedly during practice, and not correcting it, only to repeat those same mistakes on stage.
it is similar to repeatedly mocking someone’s pronunciation of a word, only to find yourself pronouncing it the same way? this applies to every facet of life.
"practice makes perfect" doesn't only apply to good habits. if you practice procrastination, you'll become better at procrastination. if you practice mediocrity, you'll excel at mediocrity. but if you practice excellence, you'll get better at excellence. stop waiting for the perfect moment to give it your all. start giving your best now, and you'll become excellent, so much so that it will become second nature.
don’t wait for the spotlight to do your best. practice being your best backstage, when no one is watching, in your closet, everywhere, and at any time. when the spotlight eventually finds you, your excellence will be effortless.
always remember, the spotlight starts in the shadows.
with love,
blessing abeng
ps: if you are new here, I love writing in lowercase just for fun. so, don't be alarmed. I know the rules, and I'm choosing to break them.
your letters always come in at the right time, sometimes it's so hard to keep practicing, especially when no one is watching. in fact, it may have you questioning your sanity or if you are even getting better, but this just feels comforting. thank you for this piece.