I’ve been watching some of the World Cup Games recently. I’m not usually a sports fan, but something about the finesse and artistry of soccer captivates me.
During the last game I watched, I found myself thinking a lot about goalies. I wondered how they get so good at what they do. It’s such a specific skill set.
photo credit: Pat McDonald via photopin cc
In my imagination (and soccer fans, feel free to correct me here), goalies get so good at being goalies by practicing blocking goals all the time. Day in and day out, over and over.
And this got me thinking about expertise, and what repetition and passion can do to transform your body and your brain- your entire being shaping itself around what you dedicate yourself to.
In his book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell suggests that how to be an expert at something is not through natural talent, but through repetition. Specifically 10,000 hours of repetition.
And all this got me thinking about myself. What do I spend a lot of time doing? Is that what I’d like to be an expert at? Is that how I want to be shaping my body, mind, and life?
Today, I invite you to join me in sitting with these thoughts. If it calls to you, take a moment to reflect on these questions:
- How do you spend most of your time each day?
- What do you focus your energy on?
- Based on these answers, what is it that you’re perfecting?
Are you satisfied with the answer? Or would you like to shift it?
We can be experts at procrastinating, experts at holding grudges, experts at envying others…
…Or, we can be experts at star-gazing, experts at mindfulness, experts at flute-playing, at compassion, at joy, at headstands, at scuba diving, at writing, at listening…
Whatever we dedicate time, focus, and repetition to is what we cultivate.
“But do you know how old I’ll be by the time I learn to really
play the piano / act / paint / write a decent play?”“Yes . . . the same age you will be if you don’t.”
~ Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way
This is our life. It’s all up to us. What do you choose?
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