As we progress along this review of the Five Keys to Mastery from George Leonard’s book Mastery, we transition from instruction to practice. In its simplest definition, practice is the verb that captures the act of performing the instruction received over and over again. Practice has a deeper meaning as well and here it captures the integration of the path you are traveling into your life. What does this mean?
I am an equestrian and have been since I was 7 years old. Riding lessons (instruction) first came from my grandfather and my sister and I happily practiced for many more hours after school and on weekends. In the summer we would set our alarms to wake before the sun was up so we were finished before the Texas heat began to broil.
Now, far beyond my child and teenage years, I still practice riding, both as a verb and as a noun. People who know that I have owned my horse for over 7 years are amazed that I still take riding lessons. Aren’t you an expert by now?
That is the beauty of practice as a noun. It is the journey that encompasses the continual practice. Beyond the lessons, it is the subtle shift in my seat eliciting a movement full of grace and power from my horse; the loss and recovery of balance that sends us on our way again. Lost in the act, no thought other than riding enters my mind. At times we meld and become as one, horse and rider connected.
Practice for a master integrates what one does with what one lives.
Yes, I will continue to practice as it is the journey to mastery, a journey that does not end. This type of practice is not outside oneself, as learning a skill is. Practice for a master integrates what one does with what one lives. How is your practice?