Practice Imperfectly

I was coming inside to sit down and write this blog and 2 super weird things happened:

• The mail carrier came WICKED EARLY… Like they’re usually not here till 5pm and it’s 9am as I write this
• They delivered an Athleta catalog that had a quote on the front DIRECTLY speaking to what I was about to write about!
  

"Patience isn't waiting - it's the knowledge that to become exceptional takes time."
-Allyson Felix (super duper track and field athlete)

Here’s what I wanted to throw your way today…

Just because you sing exceptionally sometimes, does not mean you’ll be able to do it EVERY time.
Just because you have a perfect week where you're able to cook all your own healthy food from home and make it to the gym 5 times doesn't mean you'll be able to do it every time.

That's just not how life works.

Professional singers, athletes, dancers, anyone who dives head first into a physical profession knows - you have days that are slower, days that are “lower performing”, and days that are just off.

Your training, your practice, is not meant to be PERFECTION every time.

It’s meant to be the time that you work the kinks out so that when it really MATTERS - you can be on - 110%.

A student recently said this to me (admittedly paraphrased as this was mid-lesson):

“I can always do it when the pressure is on. It’s like I just have to go for it and accept that it’s going to be whatever it’s going to be. And what it is is usually pretty good. But I beat myself up when I practice whenever it’s not ‘perfect’ and get incredibly frustrated.”

They, and PLENTY of other singers I know, get REALLY down on themselves for not performing to their highest potential EVERY. DAMN. TIME. THEY. SING.

But step back for a second… is that even realistic?

Think about other things you do in life. Take dishes for example. If you’re like me, you’re probably not super concerned about your dishes, though you do want them clean. Which means every once in a while you run across a dish in your drying rack that you, let’s say, didn’t get all the grease off of on the first go. 

Here’s my question - what’s your reaction to that situation?

Is it “OMG I’m such an idiot why can’t I get dishes right?!?”
Or is it “Oops… gotta clean that one again!”

One of these reactions is coming from a place of judgement and attaching your inherent self worth to… dishes… and thus reinforcing a belief that you are not good enough in some way.

And the other is coming from a place of NON-judgement, skipping over the emotional roller coaster that dishes REALLY shouldn’t even call for, cleaning the dish, and moving on with life to the next thing.

So… which one do you do in your singing?
Or in your self-talk (i.e. the things you tell yourself in your head that no one hears)?
Or in your overall performance?
Or in your ability to take care of yourself from a basic health point of view?

How often do you attach your ability to do something perfectly in the moment to your inherent self-worth and self-esteem?

How often do you let the human condition (read: IMPERFECTION) ruin your practice session, or your morning, or your day, or even your entire week?

You CAN become exceptional at what you do. But it takes time. And it takes persistence. And it takes HUGE amounts of tenacity and a willingness to actively move past rejection.

Which is especially hard when the person rejecting you is… you.

Be patient.
Be imperfect.
Be non-judgemental

And keep coming back to your voice lessons, or dance classes, or making time to get to the grocery store for fresh foods.

Keep doing the work and you will see, over time, that it will pay off.