What Is Good Practice?

That word ‘practice’ gets talked about a lot these days, don’t you think? A writing practice; a dentistry practice; football practice etc.

But what actually is it? And how might one approach it consciously and well?

After all, we all attempt to ‘practice’ practice in one form or another, whether we like it or not…

We ‘practice’ constantly since we are born; and yet how many of us really follow the journey of a true practitioner? The potential can be huge, if done so, however.

Here are 3 my principles of what ‘Good Practice’ entails (as taken from my own personal learning and teachers):

1) The Best Practice Is The One That You Can Stick To

This is simple, and almost obvious in a sense, and yet easily forgotten! We can be quick to get excited about cool, sexy new habits (and love to tell our friends about it too) but most of them die out, never to return again.

The reality is, a short and manageable small step will pay off much more long term than some wild unsustainable blitz. Listen to enough podcasts with writers, runners, athletes, businessmen etc… the same story is told:

Too many work hours followed by a burnout or depression or near suicide, followed by early retirement or a spiritual surrender, then eventually a short simple practice that continues daily, weekly etc over the remaining years.

I’m deep into the last stage of such a process already at 30 years old; as I now write and run a little bit every day, as appose to my previous spells of wild, tiring experiments.

I wanted to be the barefoot runner conquering crazy distances daily and telling everyone about it. I wanted to be the romantic, secluded fiction writer who lived in his own happy bubble of ideas and coffee.

Truth is: I’m just an ordinary person who can’t do either for very long until my soul wishes to return to other basic daily habits instead.

Moral of the story: 20 minutes of meditation (for example) a day will serve you better than 2 hours ‘whenever you feel like it’. Just as the mind and body improves best with small adaptations regularly.

Small steps might not look as amazing as grand achievements, but they are often more sustainable and rewarding long term. Part of taking small steps is knowing when to stay where you are, rest and reflect again, before taking the next one also…

2) Practicing Practice!

Humans have this wonderful and unique capacity to ‘think about thinking’ (otherwise called' ‘Metacognition’). Equally, we are able to learn about learning and to practice how to practice.

So what does that mean exactly?

Reflecting / journalling about our schedules, routines and habits allows us to observe them from above (‘birds-eye view’ styley); which means to adjust the WAY we practice over time in order to improve it.

I might realise that running in the morning makes all of my other habits more stress free, efficient and joyful, and so I decide to try practicing that before anything else. It could be that doing my work to-do list BEFORE breakfast gives more focus and clarity to my actions when doing them; so I try that for a few days.

Breaking one’s routine in order to develop a better one essentially IS practicing practice (providing it’s done with awareness and reflection).

I’m so enthusiastic about practicing practice that I write blogs for free about it, at least once a week. This my journalling, my reflection, actually. Every time I blog I am practicing practice.

Moral of the story: embracing BOTH layers of the practice - 1) the practice itself, and 2) the practice of reflecting upon and improving the WAY you practice - will allow for wonderful results slowly over time…

I loved the movie ‘Inception’, because of the way it explored the deeper layers of subconscious reality. Dreams, memories, visions, creativity, imagination etc are all part of our ability to perceive, reflect upon and re-design ourselves over time. Something as simple as writing (or meditation) can tap into all of this and more.

3) Practice Is Always Actually One-Directional

Everybody apparently wants different things. Some want to get rich and famous, others to go to the Olympics; men want muscles, women want tight abs; kids want to play, adults want a mature, responsible life.

Wrong. Every practice, whether its exercise, diet, relationships, work etc, is directed towards one thing - Self-Fulfilment.

Some might call it Enlightenment or Happiness or Spirituality or Contentment or Peace of Mind, but we mean the same thing actually, right?! That elusive, full mind-body experience of wholeness; of feeling deeply alive and yet completely at home in oneself at the same time.

No matter what your practice is (and what you THINK its about), try to remember daily that, deep down, you just want to be a happy, purposeful and loved human being. That is all.

You’ll be surprised how your practice might change if and when you begin to return to this mindset regularly. It can have unexpected (and sometimes frightening) consequences, but it’ll always be in service of the highest version of yourself.

Indeed, this is certainly the most intangible ‘principle’ of the 3. But you can make it tangible: TRY - a silent period every day (walking or meditation), morning pages (venting your thoughts onto a page or into a microphone), or having a conscious conversation with a parent or good friend.

Make these your habits also, as well as the more proactive stuff. Everything will be a whole lot easier that way. Trust me.

Moral of the story: we’re all the same deep down; do your best to remember that and act accordingly. Your practice will find it’s own way towards such humility if you allow it to.

We are all the same at the core. Finding the universality in all your dreams, ambitions and practices (as well as others’) will keep you humble and grounded throughout your journey as a practitioner.

So there we have it: my 3 fundamentals of Good Practice. Happy practicing dear readers, and I hope that this read enlightens your learning somewhat…

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