We need to establish the practice of practice. Figure out what you enjoy, and what you are good at, and then practice it. Kobe was renowned for his work ethic on and off the court. He said, “Great things come from hard work and perseverance. No excuses.” Obviously he was naturally gifted, but he also worked hard. That combination brings greatness.
I watched Davin block a taller player at a volleyball tournament on Saturday. Davin is a pretty athletic kid, but his team only practices twice a week. Those 4 hours aren’t enough to truly see gains in skill and performance. Instead, it is the work he puts in doing core exercises during the week that is helping him to increase his vertical and to improve his game.
I listened to Ava sing a Schubert soprano aria on Sunday with the Young Singers Project. She sang with confidence, poise, and professional, technical precision. She has a natural ability to sing, but that isn’t enough. She sang that piece hundreds of times at home, often recording herself to work on specific tones and vowel shapes. It is the work she put in during the week that allowed her to sing with such excellence.
Shooting free throws for hours, doing jump squats every day, and singing the same song repeatedly can get pretty boring. However, it is that tireless repetition that is the key to success. It isn’t very exciting to eat a salad every day, or to spend 15 minutes meditating, or to go to bed at 9pm consistently, but those mundane practices will have life changing results.
While thinking about Kobe’s legacy we should all consider what area of our lives we can work on. What practice can we practice in order to improve? Let’s reflect and then get after it.
Since I’m working on a book of stories about Dad, I decided I’d practice writing. So, here we are.