Deliberate Practice

The term ‘deliberate practice’ was coined by K. Anders Ericsson a psychologist, to describe a type of practice which ‘is a highly structured activity, the explicit goal of which is to improve performance.

This concept goes on to suggest that talent may not be the cause of high quality work  but practise is. Not just any kind of practise but "Deliberate Practice", that is carried out specifically to lead to expert performance. 

Personally I realize that practice is not only helpful but painful to some extent. Take the marathon runner who has to stay in practice in order to reach a certain level of performance, there is a lot of stress and pressure attached to the repeated activity. 

As I write these words I am engaging in deliberate practice, I realize that I cannot become the best writer over night but over a period of systemic & deliberate practice.I am focused on a certain goal of personal development & improving performance . I understand that this is a journey, one that I have to walk even when I do not feel like walking. In sport Deliberate practice involves building on and adapting existing skills by focusing on specific aspects of those skills and improving them. Over time, this gradual improvement process will lead to superior performance. 

While not everyone is a professional athlete, this learning and automaticity applies in our everyday lives. Think about driving a car, it involves many complexities but with enough practice you can master it such that it becomes automatic. You now no longer think about driving you just get in the car and drive.

1. Talent is not enough. Practice is the differentiator between the good, the better and the best.

Would you agree that you and Christiano Ronaldo have the same natural ability to kick a ball? But the difference here is the amount of intense practice (and sacrifice). Even if he is talented or has some physical advantages my argument is we all have the ability to perform at that level but we just do not practice enough.

“I am not talented, I am obsessed” – Conor McGregor, UFC lightweight champion

2.High Quality  performance is hard work and repeated actions. It must be intense, uninterrupted and repetitive. 

3.Get out of your comfort zone, constantly attempting to reach a new level. Comfort is at often times what prevents us from mastering a certain activity or topic, we need to begin to live outside our comfort zone. This is very challenging to say the least but the pay off is worth it. One of the things I realized is that what feels good now often turns out to be bad later and what feels bad now often turns out to be good later. 

“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. So if you're feeling uncomfortable right now, know that the change taking place in your life is a beginning, not an ending.” - Neale Donald Walsch

"Intense periods of focus, constant repetitions, and hovering at the edge of one’s comfort zone in training will get pretty miserable and frustrating at times. However, it should be appreciated that when quantifiable improvements start to occur, striving for further gains will become more enjoyable… even exciting."


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Imagine You Are A Success

Psychology says that we are controlled by what we think, believe or imagine more than any other factor. Our beliefs control everything we do, If we believed (or rather imagined) that wearing clothes was useless, we would all be walking around naked. It is very imperative that we understand that we control our lives through the type of thoughts we choose to hold in our minds. Take the person who jumps in front of a speeding car on the highway(commits suicide), in their mind their action is justified and probably seen as necessary hence it is carried out. Now that i have laid my foundation... In his book Psychocybernetics, Maxwell Maltz says "Realizing that our actions, feelings and behavior are the e result of our own images and beliefs gives us the lever that psychology has always needed for changing personality.Mental pictures offer us an opportunity to "practice" new traits and attitudes, which otherwise we could not do.  This is possible because again—your nervous sy...
Read more

The Unwritten Rules of Africa: Navigating a Complex Identity (Economics part 1)

The economic life of the African continent is shaped by a complex mix of historical events and current realities. To truly understand it, we must examine the deep-rooted challenges and psychological patterns that emerged from centuries of outside control and resource extraction. A History of Economic Struggle The rule of economic struggle is deeply rooted in a colonial history of dependency. Foreign powers didn't just come to trade; they methodically took apart existing African economies. They dismissed local practices as "outdated" and forced new systems upon the people. This historical redirection of resources created a fundamental weakness, turning the continent into a mere supplier of raw materials. All the infrastructure they built, like railways and ports, was primarily designed to transport these resources from inland to the coast for export. This framework created an economic gap and a dependency that has continued long after African nations gained their independe...
Read more

A Transformed Mind

Many of us are rigid in thought hence we are stagnant in life. The good news is that we have the ability to change our minds - our thought patterns (perceptions, beliefs..) One of my prayers these days is "God transform my mind". That is because i am well aware that if my mind is transformed, my life will be transformed. Our thoughts are often revealed in our actions. I am writing this right now because an idea came into my mind and i thought it was a great idea to express my revelation about my life in this manner. The action is preceded by thought. The word transformation is a compound word - transition & form or "formation". A transition takes time so it is imperative that we are patient and recognize that it will take time for our minds to be transformed. Transformation is a process often filled with pain and fear. That does not mean we must not persue change but bear in mind that it will be challenging.  Behaviors and/or habits lead to results but we often ...
Read more