practice for any and every thing

yeah.  everything can be practiced.  and everything should be practiced, if you want to improve.
now, i saw practice and all i am saying is that you have to perform activities that you wish to improve.

cooking, ironing clothes, driving in winter conditions, listening, writing, reading, speaking effectively, fishing, running, or whatever the activity.

seems like a fairly simple and obvious statement.   however, i am never at a loss of amazement when people seem to be surprised by this statement.   it almost seems like it is a corollary to the statement/ rule of 'becoming an expert of something after 10,000 hours' of performing that task.   and, of course the 'practice makes perfect' speech we all got from coaches or teachers when we were kids....or at least when we were shorter for those of us still classifiable as kids.

why am i bringing this up?  i got to 'practice' some tasks this week that i have not performed in a long time.   one was giving evaluations to somebody giving a speech.   i attended a workshop from my local toastmasters club that was teaching effective ways to evaluate.   it was really good to be able to offer evaluations and engage in conversations about evaluations.   such a simple and easy commitment of me.  it felt really good to have that exposure and then to figure how to keep applying that to my regular life, including work.

the second was attending a networking event this week.   i used to attend a bunch, especially when i was very under-employeed.   the event was dealing with metrics as they relate to project management, and it was a very enjoyable and learning experience.    shouldn't all stuff be enjoyable?  i mean why else are you doing?   it was a powerful session, and i felt that i left with some good feedback on the use of metrics, and i felt that i conveyed some good points to the other attendees.

was that the key?  did i just feel that i had validated myself in a sense?  we all want to feel that are inputs are respected, appreciated, and valuable to others.   i think so.   i was glad that i went and participated.

so, i continue to practice and practice.  

what about you?  what do you need to practice?

-tffjr