This was shared by my Tai Chi sifu, Jim Blackburn.
Encouragement to support our commitments to 'practice' everyday.
"In New York's Lower East Side a Cadillac filled with Texans pulls slowly up to Grandmaster," Hey, how do y'all get to Carnegie Hall?" they ask loudly." Practice." whispers Grandmaster.But what is practice and how do you approach your practice? Practice as a verb is clear to all of us. To practice in this sense means something we do separate from the rest of our life to enhance a skill or a technique (ie, practicing the guitar, practicing an exercise, practicing presentations ). This way of thinking about practice serves a purpose , because you clearly need to practice to get to Carnegie Hall. However, if you seek to develop mastery, practice becomes a noun.
Practice becomes something you have , something no longer separate from the rest of your life, but something you are in all aspects of your life.Practice then becomes similar to the Chinese Tao or the Japanese Do. Practice becomes the Path upon which you walk daily. Practice in this sense does help you achieve goals and benefits along the way , but masters don't practice for these reasons alone. Masters practice because they love Practice and this leads to improvement, which in turn adds joy, eliminates distractions, and encourages additional practice.
How you practice reflects who you are. Who you are reflects how you practice."
May you be your practice, Jim
Thanks, Jim...
