Why Practicing Progress May Be the Best Way to Change Your Life

Practice makes perfect is an old proverb traced back to the 1550s. Its purpose was to encourage someone to persist in achieving a skill, behavior or goal. I wonder how often we put the emphasis on perfection rather than practicing progress?

I started going to Yoga classes at our local rec center, with the intent to strengthen my core. During the first class, I remember feeling so out of my element. I didn’t know the terminology, my body was resistant to what my mind was telling it to do, and I felt so self-conscious about what other people in the class must have been thinking about me. Then the yogi ended with these simple words: “Yoga is a practice in progress — Thank you for practicing with me today.”

I thought: Wait…What? A practice in progress? Isn’t it about perfection? About having the flawless ability not only to understand how to make each move flow but a body who’s also willing to comply?

It was an aha moment for me. How often did I approach life with the same thought process?

Does your progress get stuck because you don’t know how to do something? Are you resistant to do what your mind might be telling you to do? Or are you paralyzed by comparison?